Show your Child How to Become a Scientific Thinker | Motherhood Unplugged

I've basically been raising wild, barefoot children from the beginning and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree here. I was barefoot running through the woods whenever we visited relatives in Tennessee as a youngster too. You don't have to be a horticulturalist, rocket scientist or have a keen sense of all things in nature to each your child science. You can just do some simple yet effective things to teach them lessons in science. Read on for the deets.

1. Encourage your child to be a collector. I've written about our weekly Nature Days where we bring along a treasure box and collect special items for research back at home. Nature days give the kids an opportunity to explore while learning about their surroundings. You can simplify science lessons about weight, density, mass when talking about rocks. You can also talk about shapes when checking out different types of leaves. We've also learned about the parts of the tree (canopy, bark, trunk, branches, twigs) etc all while on a nature walk. Collecting objects is a great way to learn how to sort things like rocks, shells and twigs alike.

2. Encourage investigation. Give your kids the tools to see things up closely like a magnifying glass, microscope or pair of tweezers. I've purchased child friendly magnifying glasses and tweezers from our local Dollar Tree. I also have this cute microscope in my Amazon prime shopping cart to gift them for a birthday.

3. Talk about science that happens in + around your home. For example, why does the food get spoiled and moldy? Why does our money tree need more water than this snake plant? Mix paints and learn about colors or play sink or float with different toys in a plastic bin.

5. Show an interest in science yourself. Ask the kids about the weather for the day on the way to school, talk about the different types of clouds. Observe the stars with a telescope for a nighttime activity, go on an evening nature hike with a guide to learn about the nocturnal animals.

6. Nature questions. Ask your child questions like, Why do you think...? What might happen if....? or How can we determine if.....? This type of questioning leads to critical thinking and also builds curiosity along with vocabulary.

Lastly, go to your local library and check out books on an array of topics. This week we are learning about the ocean!

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