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~Rachel~
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| Posted: Dec 12 2006 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
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I didn't want this question to get lost in space, so I am reposting it here 
When it comes to elementary (grade 2) science, I think I need a 'boost' so to speak, so ideas on the following would be grateful.
1. WHAT to study.
Do you have any lists of things the kids should learn? What standards do you use, if any? Is all your science interest led? How do you determine an interest?
2. HOW you might do it using the books on say, Macbeth's site.
Assuming you now have a topic, how do you go about the study? Do you read aloud and then have the kids narrate? Do you devise experiments? If so where do you get them from? 
3. HOW you record it.
Do you JUST narrate, or illustrate? Remembering this is a 7 year old BOY who is annoyed at drawing anything that Mum asks him (but not anything he is interested in... say the shadows of the Christmas tree  ... a study right there!!), what other record keeping can you suggest?
4. How do you determine what to study and then record in the lapbooks and/or notebooks you use?
So I like the lapbook/notebook approach, but how do you decide what goes in there. DS is usually not so thrilled with most things we do  so this is really a sticking point for me. I dont want to have to rely on ideas from others, if he wants to look at shadows, I think this is great and would love to study it with him, but need suggestions for the KINDS of things we can record about ANYTHING
Thanks for your help!
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~Rachel~
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Paula in MN
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Rachel:
I have been using CHC's Easy as 1,2,3 Science as a guide for what to study with my 2nd grader. She is not overly interested in Science (and neither am I!) so we really follow that.
I am filling out the how with different books and "experiments". Again, some of them are from CHC, and some from the Mater Amabilis site. We also use the Comstock book for lots of great ideas. Generally speaking, I read out loud and she narrates.
Some things are narrated, some illustrated. We are doing a weather study right now, so that is the first official thing we are recording. When we are done with it I will jsut add it to her three-ring binder. That is the best way for us as far as keeping records of her work. We haven't done lapbooks for science yet, but we do keep a drawing journal of our nature study days.
I am so glad you started this topic. I can't wait to see what ideas other people give, as this is an area where I could use some advice too!
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 Paula
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 12:22pm | IP Logged
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~Rachel~ wrote:
1. WHAT to study.
Do you have any lists of things the kids should learn? What standards do you use, if any? Is all your science interest led? How do you determine an interest?
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I'm going to take a stab at this as I seem to have put a few minutes away! First, Rachel, I am strongly of the opinion that a 2nd grader needs no formal science at all. From my experience, the "textbooks" for this age are absurdly full of the painfully obvious..."there are plants on earth" sort of thing. Yawn. If there is anything that will kill a child's natural love of learning, it's that sort of book. If a child can look about himself, he'll find a world full of "science" and explore it. Is that self-directed? Yes, but you can also supplement his learning with good books to follow-up on his interests. If he likes to fish, get books about fish (this works, right Alice??). If he likes stars, find great books about stars. And they don't have to be "fact" books. While Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night will not guarantee a PhD. in astrophysics, it will reinforce the pleasure of star-gazing. Other books, Like H. E. Rey's The Stars will give a student more concrete information without overwhelming him...but if he balks, step back, and don't be discouraged. It may just be an age thing. When he is ready, he'll open the book (this is why I have more books than grains of sand in my house...just in case someone needs one  ). And strew, as Lissa say, books on the subject around the house. The bathroom basket is always full of books  .
~Rachel~ wrote:
2. HOW you might do it using the books on say, Macbeth's site.
Assuming you now have a topic, how do you go about the study? Do you read aloud and then have the kids narrate? Do you devise experiments? If so where do you get them from?
3. HOW you record it.
Do you JUST narrate, or illustrate? Remembering this is a 7 year old BOY who is annoyed at drawing anything that Mum asks him (but not anything he is interested in... say the shadows of the Christmas tree ... a study right there!!), what other record keeping can you suggest? |
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I read aloud (more when they were younger). I use books on tape, especially if we are on a road trip to a specific science destination. For instance, if we are traveling to a geology site, I would listen to something like Basin and Range both for myself and for them...though when they were younger they go less out of it than I did.
Narration can be very informal at this age. Oh, it can be very informal at any age... . I know that some moms type up narrations for their kids. Others (like me) just let the kids narrate freely at the dinner table, and make note later. For record keeping, I just make a list of books that the kids enjoyed most. I take photos of field trips. "Experiments" found in most of the books out there are not experiments at all, but demonstrations. There are no pressing, unanswered scientific questions to be found in these books. BUT, in a young child's mind, much of the information, and many of the activities are new. As Miss Mason said, "the knowledge most valuable to the child is that which he gets with his own eyes and ears and fingers," and she adds "in the open air," but I think it applies to simple observations in the house, too. Should the child write up a formal lab report for 2nd grade? Heavens, no! But his copywork can be taken from a particularly well-written book on the topic, or, as many folks here like to do, he can make a lap-book. I am sure you can get plenty of advice on that in some forum or other . You can devise your own experiments and help, or he may devise his own. Here's the hard part (for you): You have to be watching, stepping back and just watching, as his experiments unfold. If you see him watching the shadows cast by the Christmas tree, ask him to tell you about the shadow, show keen interest in what he says, ask if he can help you draw it, or take a photo (digital cameras are priceless for homeschooling), or maybe he'd like to read a poem about a shadow, go outside and compare his shadow, do shadow plays around the tree, etc. At this age, your job is to suggest, not to impose. At least, that's how it works here...  .
~Rachel~ wrote:
4. How do you determine what to study and then record in the lapbooks and/or notebooks you use?
So I like the lapbook/notebook approach, but how do you decide what goes in there. DS is usually not so thrilled with most things we do so this is really a sticking point for me. I don't want to have to rely on ideas from others, if he wants to look at shadows, I think this is great and would love to study it with him, but need suggestions for the KINDS of things we can record about ANYTHING
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So, are you asking what to put in a lap-book? I suppose, if I were to do one on shadows, I would suggest that you take a photo of him observing the shadow. I would add a poem (Stevenson?), either copied by him, if he writes well, or printed out in a font of his choosing...maybe a font with a shadow? I might cut out a tree shape and make a 3-D lapbook pop-up display and show him how to use a flashlight to make a shadow. I'd probably read a well-illustrated Peter Pan, and, as many folks do in lap-books, have the kids illustrate too, or photocopy the illustration into the lap-book itself. He might make a daily chart of his changing shadow in the lap-book. He might trace the shadows of other things in his home when projected onto the wall using a flashlight. He might write his own story or poem based on his shadow experiences.
Or he might tire of it all, and move on. Be alert for signs that it is becoming your project, and not his (even so, you might want to record all this behind his back for your records, or just for memory's sake)...though this may be a very fine line. Some kids need more help than others. Some reject even the simplest help. Some can do all the "research" but will need your help to record it and put it all together for him, both mentally in in a tangible way (lap-book). Some kids may never need to put it together physically at this age, in which case, the project becomes yours to store for him like a scrap-book, admired at a later date.
I'm getting pressed for time now...I hope there are not too may typos!
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
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lapazfarm
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What MacBeth said is also exactly how I feel about science at that age. Save the scope and sequence for high school. Let your child take the lead, and run with it as far as he will go. Don't be discouraged if it is not very far, but don't be surprised if it goes even further than you thought! Visit the library often and don't forget to visit both fiction and non-fiction sections for books that strike his fancy.
What often works well at that age is to notice a child's interest, read aloud a wonderful picture-book, which ignites a further spark, then follow it up later by offering some non-fiction that is related, plus something hands-on. Like MacBeth's example of "Henry and Mudge..." followed by Rey's "The Stars". If he bites, offer to show him how to use a star chart or telescope (or binoculars, which are often better for that age).
So I guess my philosophy is living books followed by living life, or vice versa!
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us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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~Rachel~
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| Posted: Dec 14 2006 at 3:12pm | IP Logged
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GREAT answers Macbeth and Theresa... definitely confirming my suspicions
Science for us is very hit or miss... DS LOVES to experiment (which can be very painful for me, as he usually experiments in the flour I am using to cook, or with the water on the floor )... and as to the camera. Well my parents sent him one for his birthday... and now there are lots of odd photos of the TV, the computer, DD's feet, DD misbehaving, DH and myself mad at DS... you get the idea
So... let the child be my guide...
Here's hoping he finds something soon (the shadow thing passed after drawing the tree... I had suggested he go outside to look for some more, but he was onto something else!).
Thanks again Other ideas are perfectly welcome from others!!
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ALmom
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Rachel : No real ideas here _ loved reading MacBeths ideas. Science has not been well done at our house and then suddenly one child just took off and is getting everyone else caught in the bug - using books that have been sitting on the shelves for years. But the real classic moments are totally unplanned.
But to give you an idea of a seize the moment that you might identify with - my 4 yo just performed an experiment to see what would happen when putting Miraculous medals into the VCR machine. The result - machine froze up capturing a tape and parents were not too happy. Fortunately we were able to step back and see a bit of humor in it - and then dad enlisted all the boys in the job of rescuing our tape. In the ensuing conversation, there were a lot of electronics lessons (all above my head, I'm afraid but the boys seemed to grasp what dad was talking about as they were doing the rescue operation together). They opened up the entire VCR, rescued the tape with only minor wear (we hope) and then began disassembling all the various motors, wires and parts. They learned a lot about resistors and capacitors (though the girls named all the parts according to their appearance - one looked like a piano, another like a turkey and the 9 yo and dad kept having to figure out what in the world she was talking about until they were "Oh you mean the capacitor"(the turkey could have been used in a doll house as turkey dinner according to this college age dd so you can imagine the hysterical conversation at the dinner table). In the end, my 9 yo came up with a theory about a part being loose (maybe that explains why the VCR would cut off from time to time midtaping and maybe all the damage wasn't caused by Miraculous medal and 4 yo).
The boys spent the entire day yesterday disassembling this VCR and testing individual pieces using their snap electronics kit and telling dad what all they could get to work (the vibrator vibrates some but they think it needs more power than their snap electronics kit will give it, etc.) They had a blast cutting out the wire, opening up some parts, etc.
The only thing I wish is that I had seen MacBeths post first and thought to videotape the conversations and photograph our dead VCR in thousands of pieces. We have no record - but there was plenty of science back and forth - interspersed with the girls artistic renderings of the insides. The boys now have some more electronic parts - and one girl even claimed some of the wire for craft projects. We are only minus one VCR so that tape of Celtic Women will have to wait till later.
Janet
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Dec 15 2006 at 12:44pm | IP Logged
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I just want to follow up with a description of our first real science trail.
When my kids were quite little, my f-i-l was in a rehab north of here, in Westchester County. Here on LI, there are no road cuts, since there are no hills. Across the bridge onto the mainland, and we are in geological New England, and it shows. The kids were fascinated by driving by rocky walls, seeing blasting holes, and admiring layers of rock.
The homeschooling mom in me decided to run with it. I found a place where cobblestones had been laid, and showed the kids the smaller blasting holes (where the demolition guys put the TNT). The kids could actually fit their fingers along the holes. I found a causeway where the stones protecting it from the sea had been blasted out from under the East River to make the Midtown Tunnel. I even rented road building videos so the kids could see how the blasting was done without danger. Imagine the thrill when the Mining and Blasting Union opened an office across the street from Don's office!
Of course, we soon found other things to study, but that was great fun. But...over the summer, as we drove away from the Lake Mead area in NV, I made Don stop at a road cut so I could see if the stone was solid or gravely (as I suspected  ). The kids laughed and said indulgently, "Mom just loves road cuts!"
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MacBeth in NY
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alicegunther
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This is such a great story, MacBeth, and I can so see your gang on fire with learning.
One of my favorite Derham kids geology stories was when you went to that science museum and the four of them identified every rock in the scavenger hunt in about two minutes. I would have loved to see that curator's face!
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alicegunther
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P.S.
MacBeth wrote:
| If he likes to fish, get books about fish (this works, right Alice??). |
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Far too well, at times.
LOL!
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mommylori
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We go to the library and check out books on animals right now, which leads into other things. Clay is only in 1st grade but I go on his intrest, which is Crocodiles, Frogs, lizards, dinosaurs, bugs, and all that boy stuff. All of them beg for a book when we go to the library and get 2 each, we go about 3 times a week to pick up books on hold, which equals about 18 books a week! With three boys.lol Sharks is also a big hit here.lol
Also letter of the week curriculim has a science book list http://www.letteroftheweek.com/ Which we will probley be starting in the spring. We did a few a while back and they are all fun books my children enjoyed, I just check them out from the library.
Another great book in Anna Comstock Nature Study book, that has all sorts of lessons you can do with nature study. I bought it but haven't used it yet, Clay loves Science and has pretty much took over in what he wants to do.lol Mythbusters and crocodile hunter are also Science in our house.lol
I hope some of these idea's help.
Lori
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Willa
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| Posted: Dec 16 2006 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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Rachel:
If your kids haven't focused on one science area yet, maybe you could just expose them to different types of things to see what will light a fire. That's where I find some kind of scope and sequence useful, just to remind me what sort of things are out there -- experiment books, nature study, etc. But the thing to emphasize at the younger ages is all the abundance of options, not staying on a pre-set track. MacBeth's site is great for a living Scope and Sequence.
I wish I had had a camera when my older kids were little! Snapping a picture is a fun way to record science experiences -- whether discovering a lizard or an experimentation project or a nature walk or a trip to a discovery center, or an ant farm. Maybe he could write or dictate a caption for the picture.
Observe your kids and listen to what they talk about as a result of their experiences. That's a clue as to what they might want to go into more deeply.
I know it sounds a bit vague, but when I look back at my older childrens' science experiences, that sort of sums up what actually worked. Because I was always so busy when the kids were young I didn't have a formal science program until they got older. But we built on what was around us, using some of the general principles of nature study and a bit of notebooking.
Sometimes I had a general plan just to help ME stay on track and remember to keep the exploration mentality alive, but it worked better when the Plan was a skeleton under the surface, not "we have to do butterflies today". That drives the exploration and observation faculties underground, fast, in my experience with my kids!
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Willa
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: Determining a Field of Study
