by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Train up a child…
Learning Science can be Fun
Parents are often hesitant to help children with homework for fear they will look dumb to their children or teach them something that is inconsistent with what the school is teaching. There is much that families can do to provide learning foundations for children at home as well as actually helping with assigned projects. Helping children use the scientific method for problem solving helps develop logical thinking that carries over to produce success at school in science classes.
One of the best things parents can do is to help children develop a curiosity for learning. Taking children for walks and observing plants, rocks, animal tracks, and animals is interesting for both the children and the parents. It is quality time spent to nurture curiosity for learning. There are simple projects that are fun for children. An acorn man can be made by using toothpicks and running them through the acorns making a body, legs, arms, and head. It is fun to use an acorn that still has a “hat” on for the head. A pen can be used to make facial features. Laying paper over leaves and scribbling on it brings out the features of the leaves. If a magnifying glass is available, children learn even more about the construction of things in nature and develop an eye for details. It seems that many children love to collect rocks. Using the Internet to look up information about different rocks is certainly a great learning project.
As children ask questions, parents can ask questions in return. As parents ask questions, children are forming a hypothesis about the subject. Whenever possible, follow-up experiments can be conducted to see if the reason is true. This is the scientific method of thinking. In this simple way, children are learning a foundation for experimentation in science classes in high school and college. It is good at this point to tell children the difference between a theory and a fact. Until something is proven, it is simply a theory. It is so very important that children understand this difference. If children tend to believe theories, they can simply be asked, “Has that actually been proven?” A child who has been taught that facts must be obtained to back up theories does not readily accept any idea that comes along.
Science project assignments for children at home provide an opportunity for quality time spent with children. However, some children are simply not able to do some of the things often required in home projects. Teachers need to use care in making assignments. When children are asked to do artistic type projects, it is a real temptation for parents to do it for the children if their child is not “picture smart”. Teachers would be wise to offer a choice of projects for children that include a variety of methods. When the child chooses a preferred project, it is usually because he/she feels more capable of doing it. The parents can then ask questions, provide information, and make suggestions, rather than doing the project.
It is so easy to help children with learning science. It is fun to learn together and explore the wonderful world that God made. Spending time with children in nature provides an excellent opportunity to point out the greatness of our heavenly Father. Those who don’t choose to do so, miss out on a wonderful and fun time with their children.