Natural Scientists, Yes or No?

Hello All!

In my class, we are reading a book called Ready, Set, Science! In the first chapter, the authors discuss that children are natural scientists. While I instantly thought of examples of this, I still found it to be a rather interesting statement. We are all aware that as soon as children are able to speak, they ask countless questions about the world around them. We usually do not see it as science. A huge part of science is inquiring about something and making a prediction about it. That's what children are constantly doing.  They are looking to adults for the answers to their science questions. Adults need to be aware of this when answering these questions. Its is possible for children to think beyond their years therefore we must give the appropriate answers. My 2 year old niece can tell that there is a difference between her fake dog and my real dog. They both bark, walk, and have fur, but she is afraid of my dog simply because she knows that he is real. She has inquired and made predictions about real and fake animals at the age of 2. It is never too early for children to begin learning science. Science is all around us even when we do not realize it. We don't have to be in a laboratory doing experiments to practice science. We don't have to be in a classroom doing activities planned by a teacher. The other day I pulled a dried up fruit out of an old backpack that I hadn't used in years. It was brown and unrecognizable. The process of figuring out what the fruit was (an apple) was science. We naturally engage in science on a day to day basis. It's all around us people, even when we don't realize it!

Until next time,
Christina