While children all love to explore their curiosity, they may not always go about it in a manner that is scientific. To include the love of learning in your homeschool student, you need to ensure that they pick up new data every time they do an experiment. This will not only teach them new things, but also make them understand that they can learn new things on their own just by performing a couple of quick experiments.
Record Keeping
For younger children use everyday items from around the home and convert them into a sequence that allows them to formally experiment. Here’s a simple example. Give them a foot rules and a book. Ask them to measure the sides of the book and record the data in a notebook. It would be a good idea to have a separate science experiment recording notebook that they can use each time they conduct an experiment. This will allow them a sense of continuity in the learning.
New Findings
Encourage them to find new things to test. Something as simple as how many steps does it take them to cross the room and open the door, as opposed to how many steps it takes you, or any other person to do the same thing. As they come up with new findings help them to compare the data that they are recording. Shed some light on the “why and how”‘s of the data that they have collected. Ask them to draw conclusions based on what they have found out.
Encourage New Experiments
By giving them a couple of new activities to perform each day, you will encourage them to find new experiments of their own. Don’t overwhelm them with too much data and a large number of things to do. Just allow them to learn on their own pace. If something specific captures their imagination, allow them to come up with new ways to study that particular topic. The idea is to teach them what all they can do, then step back and allow them the freedom to choose what they want to do and how often.
