Teaching Elementary Science

Science is one of those subjects that is easily slid to the back burner. In the lower grades, when phonics and fundamental math are priorities, science rarely makes it to the top of the list. Here's one approach that might move science off the back burner!

When my children were in the K-4 or 5 years, I came up with a solution to my science woes that worked out pretty well in our homeschool. Each quarter of our school year (every 9 weeks), we would take a "week off" from all other subjects (except math!) and enjoy a science week. That science week would focus on a single topic ...

As I planned my school year each summer, I would choose four science topics to enjoy for the coming year. I would then make certain to collect anything I needed for each of these weeks as they drew closer. I usually spent some time on-line during the summer, checking for special Science books or supplies that might round out our topical studies. Then a couple weeks prior to each Science week, I would visit our local library to add to our stack of books for study. Here are some possible Science topics to choose from:

• Weather
• Astronomy
• Human Body
• Electricity
• Magnetism
• Plant Life
• Birds
• Insects
• Machines
• Ocean Life
  

Once each Science week arrived, we would pull out our stacks of books and science materials, each student would grab their Science "notebook" (3-ring binder with lined and unlined paper), and we would begin our adventure. This might involve some reading about the topic on their own, some reading that I would do aloud, and any activities or experiments that might relate to the topic at hand. I usually tried to include one or two Science videos related to the topic as well. I would make sure that we wrote down any new Science "words" in their notebooks, being certain they understood what they meant. We also sketched (or you could take photos of) the experiments we tried. These all made for a wonderful Science notebook.

My primary goal was to ignite an excitement in my children for learning about Science. Since I viewed these weeks as being "discovery" oriented, I wasn't terribly concerned about mastery of the material. At a time when our major focus was on learning to read well and establishing the fundamentals of math, this approach to Science was enjoyable for all of us.

So don't obsess about Science ... feel free to move it to the back burner, with the exception of four weeks when you enjoy exploring God's creation with your children!