Mike Farris:
After developing the skill habit of observation, you can take the next logical step in your study of science and get your children to begin asking why.
Most kids will do this automatically. Why is ice on the window? Why do I get a bruise when I fall down? Why do the leaves change color in the fall? Why does my dog yelp if I pull his tail? You get the idea.
By encouraging your children to ask the "why" questions, you are helping them to develop the next skill in the scientific method: learning to develop an informed hypothesis.
"Hypothesis" is a Greek word, combining the idea of putting something under investigation while coming up with a proposed answer for the facts which have been observed.
Before you teach a particular science concept, get your kids to come up with ideas about why something is happening.
Look around for real-life examples. Suppose one afternoon you are heading off with a vanload of kids to soccer practice. You turn the key, but the van won't start. Get the kids to hypothesize. "Can anyone come up with a reason for this 'phenomenon'? Could it be the battery? Could it be the starter motor? Could it be that your sister Christy left the lights on again?"
Science doesn't have to be a boring list of facts. When you get your kids thinking about science like Sherlock Holmes, they'll experience the joy of discovering the wonders of God's creation. I'm Mike Farris.
