Initial experiences in science should be all about observation. I personally believe that one reason kids tend not to do as well in science after 3rd grade is that they were never taught to observe properly. Before your child delves deeply into the world of scientific fact, encourage as much meaningful observation as possible. Ask questions like: describe, what, and show. Encourage details. Of course you will do experiments, and learn facts but your end goal should always be the detailed observation of what you’re studying. After your child starts to observe well, then you can start asking questions like how, why and explain. With that said, if your child has really good observation skills, you should delve into these subjects as much as possible.
Animals
* Useful and harmful animals
* Life cycle
* Birds and insects in winter
* Animal babies
* Animal defense of themselves and their young
* Plant and animal food
Is there a better place to look for information on animals than National Geographic? The National Geographic website has a kids’ section and it is definitely worth a look. Complete with webcams, hands on experiments and facts presented in interesting ways, it will likely keep your kids entertained for quite awhile.
Paleontology
* Dinosaurs and other extinct animals
The best resource that I know of to get information on science from a creationist (young earth) point of view is at Answers in Genesis. They have books, online resources and just about everything in between. Another great website for the same type of view is Christian Answers.net which has a Kid Explorers section that is definitely worth checking out. Another series that I have not personally checked out (yet) but have heard good things about is the Jonathan Park series. Think of Jonathan Park as the dinosaur loving-mystery solving-creationist version of Nancy Drew. The series is supposed to be very entertaining and give good science based answers for a creation view point.
If you are not looking for information from a creationist perspective, consider using Usborne, The Magic School Bus, or Dinosauria an excellent online resource.
Ecology & Botany
* Food chain
* Plant reproduction and growth
* Habitats and homes
Use a empty soda bottle or milk jug to create a terrarium. Grow plants, feed worms and measure their growth. If you have a budding scientist, consider growing plants using hydroponics (kits are usually available through science suppliers). Only do this if you’ve already studied the basics regarding plant life.
Another cool project to do with plants is to see if plants have a ‘preference’ for the types of sounds they hear. Buy three plants (or plant them from seedlings) and make sure they all get the same amount of water and are in the same window. Expose one plant to classical music for one hour a day, another plant to country music and the final to nothing. Why bother? Well, it’s kind of fund but besides that it is good practice for setting up an experiment with controls and variables.
Earth Science
* Weather and its effects on earth
* Effects of the seasons on the lives of people, animals, and plants
* Climate
* Water cycle
* Air and atmosphere
This is just about the coolest website I have found on weather. I also suggest taking advantage of whatever is happening in the weather when you get to this topic. If you live in tornado alley, study tornados. If it’s hurricane season, study hurricanes.
Physics
* Magnets and forces
Everthing you’ve ever wanted to know about magnets you can look up here. I like this site because it has stuff to do, is easy to navigate, and if you don’t happen to know everything there is to know about magnets–it’s easy to learn here.
* Gravity
Astronomy
* Earth and sky
* Sun, moon, planets
* Simple constellations
* Exploring space
I highly recommend studying astronomy in the summer. Obviously, it is much more pleasant to sit outside on a summer evening and look at the night sky than it is to sit outside at night in January! Also, the sky’s best shows (meteor showers) are often in the summer time in late July or early August. At KidsAstronomy you can find a map of tonight’s sky and then go on a “scavenger hunt” outside.
Scientific method and scientific inquiry
Another blogger at Families.com has written an excellent blog on teaching the scientific method.
Related Articles:
What Your Kindergartner Should Know: Science
What Your First Grader Should Know: Science
Science At Home: Super Solutions