Day 2 of our new homeschool was Science Lab day. This is the part the kids are the most excited about - science is super fun! Science is something you DO, not a bunch of facts to learn, so this is a hands on activity for us. My method is simple:
- The kids are going to keep lab notebooks. Each week they write the date, and their Question. We sit and discuss the questions, and think of how to do an experiment for that question. They need a materials list, and if I have the materials at home then they can start right away.
- They write the Procedure in their notebooks, describing what they did.
- They play with science stuff to their hearts content.
- Then they write the Results in their notebook.
I will take dictation and do the writing for them if needed. Otherwise, I'm standing by as Safety and Ethics Officer. Safety means that I say, No you cannot use an open flame right now. Ethics means I say, No you cannot see what happens if you put a bug in vinegar.
And, of course, this is not going to be their only science each week. This is just the Lab (Questioning and Testing). We also are going to do Nature Study (Observation Skills), and there will be unit studies on scientific topics (Research).
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