It has begun! Summer vacation may be 3 weeks old, but our Summer of Science has (finally) officially begun! Every Thursday I will share our journeys through science this summer.
This is the book we are (loosely) using to inspire the kids to THINK. But not just think... think scientifically. I hope to use Book Two in Brenden and Brooke's science curriculum this next school year. Book One is a good start for learning how to observe, experiment, observe, classify, observe, think, and did I mention observe? You get the idea!
All-in-all our first installment of S.o.S. (Summer of Science) was a raving success! If you would like to conduct your own S.o.S, it is simple. Start with what you have! If you would like to duplicate our adventures, here is what we did:
- We took a walk! You don't have to, but it is so much more fun! We carried plastic grocery bags and collected things. I reminded the kids that not all things seem interesting at first, don't collect based on interest! Just collect! With younger children you may need to set perimeters so they aren't picking up yucky stuff! With ages 8-13 I was able to say, "Don't pick up anything that can go in someone's mouth" and "If you aren't sure, ask me before you pick anything up". That worked well ;-)
Example of some things collected: leaves, sticks, broken plastic, fire cracker paper, pen, bottle caps and flower petals.
- Set up a table with magnifying glasses (we had cheep ones and they worked great) and, if you have it, a microscope and/or other high power magnifier. I also had some pre-made slides from an old microscope set. The kids loved these as much as their other finds!
- Most important step: have fun!
If you have any great science activities to share or a science blog to mention, please feel free to share in the comments section below! I would love to see what science you are doing this summer!
Next week we use our observation skills to explore WATER! Join us!
Blessings for lots of summer fun!