Teaching Science To Your Preschooler

"Science is an intellectual activity carried on by humans that is designed to discover information about the natural world in which humans live and to discover the ways in which this information can be organized into meaningful patterns.  A primary aim of science is to collect facts (data).  An ultimate purpose of science is to discern the order that exists between and amongst the various facts."  (Gottlieb, 1997)

Every child has an hypothesis based on a collection of simple data that they over analyize.  A child is constantly exporing the world around them.  They crave learning new things.  It is in the way that material is presented to them that awakes the want to learn and explore.  Science comes quite a bit more naturally to us because the human brain is relentless for asking "why" and "how" things are.  We are always asking questions about the way life works, the way objects work, and how everything falls into place.  Science allows us to form an opinion, to collect data or facts about that opinion, and gain perspective on the information we accumulate.  Children gather information every single day and form opinions on the simplest forms of science.

I am going to start a little series for parents that has idea's on science experiments that allows a child to form an hypothesis and collect data to test their hypotheses.  This series is not made to be so structured that it's boring and it isn't going to just be "experiments" but more "ah ha" moments for a child to really pursue how things work.  To test the simple things such as watching ice melt to applying two colors together to form a new color. 

My goal is to provide other sources for preschool science lessons and experiment's that allow parents to have options.  There is not an adequate of age appropriate material out there that is available without a fee.  wanted to be another Mom to post some fun experiments or "ah ha" moments that we do here at Rattles and Redheads.

I will be posting some science projects that Harmony and I have done over the last few weeks.  I will make an attempt at posting these on Saturday morning's.  In the meantime, check out our tutorial on changing a liquid to a solid.. 

Happy Thursday!
Candice S.
References

Gottlieb, S. (1997, April 8). Religion and Science. Retrieved on February 10, 2011, from http://www.theharbinger.org/articles/rel_sci/gottlieb.html