What isn’t there to love about science? By its very nature, it taps into kids’ natural curiosity and inquisitiveness. To quote Miss Frizzle, science teacher extraordinaire from the Magic School Bus, delving into science encourages kids to “Take chances, make mistakes and get messy!”
In addition to whatever science arises naturally in the course of pursuing our interests, our family has created a science bin. We sometimes pull this out on a rainy day or when one of us is looking for something fun to do.
Unschooling is about offering children things that add variety and richness to their worlds. It is not about trying to force a certain amount of “science” over the course of the year. And it’s not about trying to hide science in a fun activity like you’d conceal a dog’s pill in a piece of cheese. Be careful not to rate some of your daily activities as more valuable than others just because they seem more “academic”. Believe me, kids know when you’re doing this -sometimes even before you do!
There are a myriad of resources, both online and in book form, with ideas for interesting and engaging science activities.
Below are some of our favorite activities, along with links to sites we like to explore.
Activities: