Science in the Air

After reading the article "Science in the Air", I now believe that introducing science in my own classroom will be easier than I originally thought it would be. Science has always been an overwhelming area for me, never quite understanding all the terms and reasoning. I now realize that science in the classroom is really just an appreciation of the world around us. Noticing the weather and the changing seasons. How things feel and all the different textures. Shapes of things and all the different shapes that make up an object when looking through a magnifying glass or microscope. The key to getting a child's attention is to make it interesting to them by asking questions or finding things they want to understand. Following their lead can be more of a learning experience than trying to teach them a specific planned lesson. Making predictions and doing experiments helps them build knowledge in a fun way. Having pictures as a reference is great but taking pictures to remember actual experiences helps them remember and relate it to their everyday lives better. Creating experiments and documenting findings is not only a science activity but crosses over into areas of math and language as well. It helps with creativity and self esteem as well. In an age where math and language are pushed so hard in standard school settings we need to remember the importance of science and not over look it at this young age. Science can be fun, and fun helps in all areas of learning.