Science is all around you

I thought this was great, wanted to share this with you.

By Tom McNeill
Tom McNeill is a Science Coach/Teacher at W.C. Britt Elementary School in Snellville.

I’ve been teaching Science Specials for three years now. And believe me, in this short amount of time, I’ve been asked just about every imaginable question from the students here at Britt: “Can we make a potion?”, “Are we going to mix chemicals?”, “Why does the moon follow me when I’m riding in a car?”, “What will happen if I drop a cement block on to a balloon full of shaving cream?”.

Students’ fascination and curiosity with science is natural and abundant, and they are always eager to get their hands on any lab activity that comes their way. However, one thing that I have noticed among the students is a general misconception that “science” is performed by
“scientists”, usually in a laboratory setting. This generalized belief is actually quite common among all children. When I ask, “What scientific things have you done lately?”, the common responses usually have to do with what they did in class with their teachers. Students are very
skeptical when I inform them that they “do science” every day of their lives!

If science means making observations and then acting on those observations, then every time you put on a jacket, you’re doing science. As parents, we have unique opportunities to turn what is academic into real-world learning. Children learn about the moon and stars in class, but only we can look up into the night sky with them.

Perhaps the easiest and most natural setting for science is in the kitchen. Many children are not aware of the similarities between chemists in a lab and cooks in a kitchen. Allow your children to help make breakfast. Talk about chemistry in the kitchen! Just making pancakes involves measuring solids and liquids, mixing substances, using heat energy, and manipulating and observing physical and chemical changes.

So, start at home and try not to let these little “teachable” opportunities pass you by. The more science children are exposed to at home, the more likely they will succeed here at school. Go make something delicious! Hey, sometimes you have to crack a few eggs to do good SCIENCE!