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OUR CHILDREN NEED MORE SCIENCE by Katheryn Krupa 

10/24/2015

2 Comments

 
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Let me begin by saying I am somewhat biased since I was raised by an avid environmentalist, Audubon enthusiast and scientist - my mother.  In her kindergarten classroom, five year olds sorted and classified feathers matching them with actual bird mounts.  Her children went on wildflower walks and mixed baking soda and vinegar to make volcanoes. Science was fun!  As a Huron Valley art teacher with a minor in science, weaving science into art lessons has been a passion for me as well.  

I strongly believe that science is crucial to our understanding and appreciation of the world around us!  It has been a disturbing trend in recent years that what is tested too often is the focus of what is taught. Thus, language arts and math have been the primary focus in elementary grades, with science falling by the wayside.  On a positive note, I am thankful that our school district (Huron Valley) will be adopting a new science curriculum this year. 

So what can we do in the meantime?  Children and adults would greatly benefit from time spent outside observing animals and their interactions.  I recall lazy summer days lying in the grass watching ants and insects interacting...wondering about ants and how they evolved their intricate societies.  There were summer nights my brothers and I lay outside on blankets watching the stars and chattering away about life on other planets.  Let's put the wonder back into the lives of our children!  Let's encourage them to collect and classify leaves, then make an artwork from them.  Let's take them on a canoe trip on the Huron River and watch for different turtles splashing into the water or scan the skies for hawks and migrating sandhill cranes. Nature has so much to teach us, yet it is our charge to instill not just awe and wonder, but also to teach a sense of empathy, reverence and responsibility to the earth and animals around us.

For a good article by Warren McLaren on this subject, visit this link:  http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2012/11/12/3629731.htm 
For a very interesting NOVA special (which sparked this blog), watch Lord of the Ants featuring Harvard scientist Edward Wilson and his important research on ecosystems:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/lord-ants.html
2 Comments
Carole Gannon
10/24/2015 11:19:41 pm

Very insightful in what stimulates in children a genuine interest in the natural world and promotes their passion for protecting the environment. As an educator myself, I observed how my students became impassioned about the plight of bluebirds as they received information from their letters to the Audubon Society, then constructed nesting boxes that they placed in Rouge Park and monitored. These Detroit students became genuine advocates for the natural world, Prepping continually for tests surely would not have brought out this enthusiasm.

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Katheryn Krupa
10/25/2015 07:40:11 am

Yes, I agree that real life, outdoors, hands-on science is key for our children! Testing has its place but not to the extent it has swung to now, in my opinion. I can tell how much students have learned (or not) by how they apply that knowledge in constructing a sculpture or mixing paint for example. Much more telling than a standardized test.

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