Shed your science insecurities and join your kids as a fellow learner! That's the main advice in this podcast hosted by Janna with special guest Amy Ratliff, curriculum designer at BookShark. Amy says that the biggest part of teaching your kids science is to engage their curiosity. Enjoy the scientific process even when things don't go exactly right.
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QUOTABLES
Amy: "There's actually a million and one variables that go into every experiment ever, and if anything is slightly off, it can throw the rest of the experiment off. So I think that's one of the reasons that doing science at home can be more difficult, is because you expect it to go well, and if anything goes slightly off, you're like, 'Why is the science not working? Why is science not perfect?' And it's because there's just a million and one variables and something's changing."
Janna: "So there's really not failure in science. And maybe that's what parents need to hear, is that when something doesn't have an expected outcome, it's not a failure. It's not that it didn't work. It's just a jumping off point to start again in a different way."
Janna: "And I think maybe I needed to hear that I have permission to mess up while doing science experiments with my children because that really is part of the process."
TIMESTAMPS
02:23 Guest Amy Ratliff, a curriculum writer at BookShark, introduces herself.
03:38 What to do when you've followed the directions to a tee, but the science experiment still failed.
06:26 Teaching children about experimentation — trial and error.
07:21 The difference between the scientific model and a scientific experiment.
11:44 Teaching science with a project-based approach.
12:45 Teaching science with unit studies.
18:59 Using living books to learn science. Some parts of science lend themselves very well to being told through a story. Amy provides the example of Mendel and his study of genetics.
23:19 Pointers for teaching science at home: 1. See what's sparking interest and capitalize on that.
24:39 2. Have perseverance, be a curious and humble learner.
25:44 Recognize that you've already taught your kids a lot of science informally simply through life and discussions!
SPECIAL SEGMENTS
01:13 Self-care Your Way
17:53 What We’re Reading
Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.
