So what do you do when science scares your kids?

[siloam]

This is so weird to me. I get up on a farm, an actual farm with the need to castrate pigs, behead chickens (then pluck them) and shoot the beloved cow for food (and later play with the eyeballs).

 

We are going to start biology and so far:

 

They don't want to find their blood type because that would require them to prick their finger and bleed.

 

Don't want to study the human body because it is icky and scares them, especially the brains (Thanks the the brain stuff in Planet 51) and it doesn't matter if it is just a paper model.

 

Refuse to dissect anything. Got the oldest to do an Owl pellet once, but even then I got a lot of "icky" comments. Anything more alive and less irradiated would not be tolerated.

 

Studying bacteria is also icky and gross.

 

Basically I told them I am not doing plants till late sprint when they can do them outside. What do I do till then. We are talking tears over the idea of seeing something gross. :rolleyes:

 

Anyone got any ideas? Right now I told them they would just read about something, and they agreed. This is hard because only my oldest really likes to read, they are all hands on learners.

 

Sigh...

 

Heather

Edited January 14, 2011 by siloam

[Veritaserum]

I'll admit that biology squicks me out. It is gross, IMO. :tongue_smilie: I still learned it, but I enjoyed physics the most (very clean). I also liked chemistry for the explosions and geology because the rocks weren't likely to ooze or bleed. I can't even stomach owning animals because of the giant ick factor for me. ;) So, I guess I would do one of these:

 

1. Have them read biology texts with good illustrations, watch science videos of biology experiments, and force them to choose at least one dissection that they will do this year (prescreen these to some you are willing to do--earthworms might be a good choice). Microscopes are also pretty tame and clean. I don't mind looking at specimens of blood and cells if it is through a lens. :)

 

2. Let them do physics, chemistry, or geology experiments (Thames and Kosmos has some nice kits) with the understanding that they will eventually have to get over their queasiness and learn biology properly.

[Jamee]

I wish I had some advice, my kids are the opposite and can't wait to dissect. One of their favorite TV shows: Grossology. Yeah. Do you have to do life science? Can you do earth or physical until they can get a better handle of it?

[Kalmia]

There is a lot more to biology than physiology, and studying whole, living animals is just as valid a course of study as cutting them up to observe their internal structure.

 

Begin with animal classification and animal behavior (zoo trips!). Move on to habitats and food webs (I like the old McGraw Hill series Our Living World of Nature: The Life of the Forest; The Life of the Mountains; etc.). Study of external anatomy may also prove acceptable: types of beaks, types of feet, types of wings, etc. These topics should be enough to get you to botany in the spring!

[Melinda]

One of the things we did with our bio studies was to get a book called My Body. It has you trace each child's full body outline on butcher paper or newsprint. You hang their body outline on a wall and place paper organs in the right spots as you learn about them.

 

I will see if I can find a link to that book.

[Melinda]

Here it is. My kids loved using this.

 

http://teachers.scholarschoice.ca/products/My-Body-2089/Gr-14-My-Body-Book-p2331/pstart1/

[Melinda]

I just saw the ages of your kids...they are probably too old for that book. Sorry about that.

[siloam]

One of the things we did with our bio studies was to get a book called My Body. It has you trace each child's full body outline on butcher paper or newsprint. You hang their body outline on a wall and place paper organs in the right spots as you learn about them.

 

I will see if I can find a link to that book.

 

 

Actually that sort of thing is one of the things they vetoed. :001_huh: Doesn't matter that it isn't real, it is the idea behind it they can't get over....

 

Heather

[Hunter]

I'd focus on the characteristics of life. What makes something alive. And now would be a good time to teach report writing. You could make up a report template focusing on the characteristics of life and then assign very different forms of life and have them research each organism and organize all the information they find into the same template each time.

 

And I'd cover environmental science. There is an AP environmental science test. So an in-depth study of environmental science now, might possibly help prepare for a test in the future.

[siloam]

There is a lot more to biology than physiology, and studying whole, living animals is just as valid a course of study as cutting them up to observe their internal structure.

 

Begin with animal classification and animal behavior (zoo trips!). Move on to habitats and food webs (I like the old McGraw Hill series Our Living World of Nature: The Life of the Forest; The Life of the Mountains; etc.). Study of external anatomy may also prove acceptable: types of beaks, types of feet, types of wings, etc. These topics should be enough to get you to botany in the spring!

 

This is the direction I am headed in, though I also like the idea of environmental science, but that might fit better in the fall after we have done our plant growing.

 

I was avoiding it because we have done so much coverage of animals: Apologia Zoo 1, 2 and 3, God's Design Animals, Winter Promise Animals and Their Worlds, and that is just in the last 4 years. We also are at the zoo regularly, just last month, in fact.

 

But I think that is the best idea. I have a book on footprints, so I can have them work with that, do some reading, research animals, and write summaries. Also they could sketch animals from the back yard.

 

They also agreed that they might be able to do some microscope work as long as it isn't icky stuff like from inside the body. Actually once they saw that the slides weren't going to get their hands dirty they would probably be fairly ok with even the icky ones...I think.

 

Heather

Edited January 13, 2011 by siloam

[siloam]

And I'd cover environmental science. There is an AP environmental science test. So an in-depth study of environmental science now, might possibly help prepare for a test in the future.

 

I like the idea, but I might see if I can save it till after we work with plants because I think it will make more sense then.

 

Heather

 

[Veritaserum]

Petri dishes were ok for me, too. :)

[Kalmia]

I thought a few more topics you may not have covered in depth already:

 

1. Animal senses (my DS 11 loves electric animals: torpedo rays and sharks; that bees can see ultraviolet light; compound eyes, lateral line systems; snakes and their Jacobson's organs; and moth antennas as chemical receptors)

 

2. Animal communication (chemical, sound, visual, and tactile)

 

3. Life cycles (especially of invertebrate sea creatures--nice and complex)

[Karen in CO]

Digital Frog, but not the frog, the ecosystems... Or maybe the frog too, but I don't think my tender-hearted child would do that either.

 

 

Also - maybe some life sciences more in harmony with their natures. An indepth study of a particular animal. Have you seen the science with your dog kit? It is kindof fun. You could also grow something living - hatching eggs, raising fur rabbits, making composte - vermiculture. Get your scuba certifications. Learn about coral reefs. How about horses?

[SailorMom]

We're all about icky science here - even disected a fetal pig.

But if they are balking and bothered by it - then I say do something else. Environmental science sounds cool, or just study cell biology - which is so abstract it may not gross them out.

Heck, do physics, study outer space. I wouldn't worry about it. They'll get over it soon enough :)

[regentrude]

I would just not do biology now but choose a different science. Physics. chemistry. Astronomy. geology. these are not yucky.

[Hunter]

Nutrition?

[Laura in STL]

I think there are some virtual dissections available online. Maybe if it's an animation it would not seem so gross to them?

 

We are using the quick links from the Usborne Science Encyclopedia along with our human body study. Many of those are animations or diagrams that aren't gross to my kids at all.

 

I guess if they still found that too much I would wait on the human body until time for biology in high school. Just doing botany and zoology more in depth should be fine until then.

[Chris in VA]

If you've already done a ton of bio, why not do something else, but maybe just include a nature walk ala CM and keep a journal? My scientist friend of a friend says observation is a wonderful skill to develop in elementary, along with asking good questions. Maybe you could make a blind in the backyard so you could study some animals occasionally, or link in some photography.

I just see you've done 4 years of animals, so I'd move to something different, but keep a little nature in there, since it seems they like it so much (I'm assuming that's why you've done so much).

 

Earth Sci isn't so icky, can be done in the winter, and provides a ton of content. Why not try that?

[SnowWhite]

I agree with the poster who says move away from biology already. Physics, chemistry, geology, oceanography, astronomy, ecology- there's plenty of information to cover without getting "gross." What about WinterPromise's Jiggle, Jostle, Jolt? I am really tempted by that one.

[siloam]

If you've already done a ton of bio, why not do something else, but maybe just include a nature walk ala CM and keep a journal? My scientist friend of a friend says observation is a wonderful skill to develop in elementary, along with asking good questions. Maybe you could make a blind in the backyard so you could study some animals occasionally, or link in some photography.

I just see you've done 4 years of animals, so I'd move to something different, but keep a little nature in there, since it seems they like it so much (I'm assuming that's why you've done so much).

 

Earth Sci isn't so icky, can be done in the winter, and provides a ton of content. Why not try that?

 

Actually we have done it almost all topics at one time or another. We even covered human body this summer with the God's Design text. They just didn't look at the pictures. :rolleyes: The possible one exception is astronomy. None of them have any interest at all (though I will be covering it next with the God's Design text like it or not).

 

I am just now realizing how much ground we have covered. Generally I read aloud a little each day from a main text (Elementary Apologia Botany right now). Then we have a separate focus. Right now on Monday it is a butterfly, on Tuesday it is a Dinosaur, on Thursday it is an herb and on Friday it is a bird. After that the older two have been doing hands on stuff together. They just finished physics so we were coming back to botany and adding in my 3rd dd. But I really don't want them trying to do all that plant stuff on my dining room table, thus the desire to wait till summer. :D

 

My oldest did Chemistry in 6th, while my 2nd dd did Earth science at the same time. This year I combined them in physics, they just finished early. That is why I am avoiding those two topics for now.

 

They cover a lot of nutrition in daily life as I was brought up by a mom who was a diet center fanatic. I could tell you the calorie and general fat content of foods off the top of my head from all her calorie counting. In addition my dh is diabetic. It is not uncommon to hear us asking them if they got some protein to eat, or had a fruit or vegetable yet. I should look into it some more to see if we have gaps. I know the God's Design book also touched on nutrition, but none of it was new.

 

Jen-I will probably do those, but given the girls just did a bunch of physics I will probably wait. I want to do SSS too. I just read a lot where the Thames & Kosmos kits can sometimes be hard to use, and right now I don't have the time to help them (not till ds is reading well!). I was thinking the next time around, which won't take 4 years with us hsing year around.

 

The kids also do a lot of animal observation. We feed the squirrels and birds, and have nests and a bird bath in the back yard. We keep binoculars next to the sliding glass door with some identification books, and an animal tracks book. We also get raccoons and oppossum. :glare: Oh well the kids love it!

 

I forgot I have all the stuff from the old WP Ancients IG, when they used to schedule the Archeology and Ancient science piece. Ohhh, I could pull that out and do that. I would let them go at their own pace (I ask them for 15 mins a day), and I could pause it, if needed, to do all the plant stuff this summer. Hmmm, I like that it doesn't require me to spend more money. :D

 

Yep I think that is the winner!!

 

Thanks everybody for all of your suggestions. I know if I could get out of my same old lines of thinking something would just click. I was just stuck in the same old rut!

 

Heather