ssexton Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 My son is eleven and finishing sixth grade this year. He is an engaged student and his special area of interest is history--especially American and military history. I'm thrilled that he is motivated to read and watch documentaries on his own in this area, but I also want to encourage an interest in the math and science fields. We are using CLE 600 this year along with Prentice Hall's Science Explorer. He's doing well and learning the material, but he's not really engaged. And I've not covered nearly as much science with him as I would have liked, given it's not a big area of interest for me (not a good excuse, I know!) I want to change this though. After reading the "out of the box" thread, I'm wondering if you have any ideas to help light a fire in these other areas? I've considered snap circuits and maybe even some of the lego robotics kits (he loves legos). I'm not sure where to start with those. Maybe a study of the history of science? Any suggestions? And how do I incorporate actual science into this (scientific method, content, vocabulary, etc?) I'm definitely a box checker and need some help with some creativity here! I'd welcome both specific product recommendations and ideas for implementing this type of study. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommybostic Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Oh, but we love science around here! Before starting on a curriculum and running the risk of making a fun subject not so fun, try to spark his interest first. Make a baking soda and vinegar volcano. Look up science experiments on the internet. There are some neat online stores where you can buy different things to play with and experiement with. You can suck a boiled egg into a glass bottle. You can pierce a balloon with a bamboo stick without popping it. Then you can talk about why these things are possible. Studying a pet or nature around your house is science. Visiting a zoo or aquarium is too! You might have a really cool science or nature center near where you live, or a planatarium. The Babylonians studied the heavens--you could incorporate that. Science is everywhere! My son loves history, too, but he can't resist science. I think you'll be pleased with how much fun you can have--to me it's the subject that offers the possibility of the most fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Joy Hakim's series The Story of Science is very good. DK also has a (huge) volume on the history of science called Science: The Definitive Visual Guide. Military history also blends well with science: lots of chemistry and physics in the development of weapons and lots of physiology in the practice of medicine during wartime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 What about using his interest in history to bring in science with something like this kit? http://www.amazon.com/Thames-Kosmos-Classic-Science-Milestones/dp/B000VLQ2V4/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1295750853&sr=1-2 I haven't tried this particular kit, but all the things I've gotten from Thames and Kosmos are good quality items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommybostic Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I had another idea when I got up this morning--after I had my coffee. Our state Division of Natural Resources puts out a WV Wildlife calendar each year. It has different things throughout the calendar on different days--for example, "Begin aerial surveys for gypsy moths." That would make a neat little science lesson (studying the gypsy moths, I mean, not doing the aerial survey!) There are literally hundreds of things like this, from species specific articles down to fishing conditions on different days. Why are conditions better on some days? You know your child best and know what might be of interest to him. FWIW, my son is 11, too, so I understand this is also a tough age to work with at times. As far as math goes, you need some suggestions from someone besides me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Also if you piggyback on his interest in American history there are tons of scientists to choose from: George Washington Carver, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein etc, etc, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I've been thinking about the "out of the box" thread, and I think it was the one that mentioned creative problem solving. There was a charter school that challenged the students to come up with ways to make the school library quieter. To solve the problem, the children learned about sound waves and other concepts--using problem solving skills while meeting state standards. I'd love some ways to do something like this in our home. But how? That's the $6 million question. Mommybostic, the calendar you mentioned might have some good jumping off points. I also appreciate the history of science resources several of you mentioned. Thank you! Anybody have any math ideas? Anyone know anything about Lego education resources and have any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I've been thinking about the "out of the box" thread, and I think it was the one that mentioned creative problem solving. There was a charter school that challenged the students to come up with ways to make the school library quieter. To solve the problem, the children learned about sound waves and other concepts--using problem solving skills while meeting state standards. I'd love some ways to do something like this in our home. But how? That's the $6 million question. Mommybostic, the calendar you mentioned might have some good jumping off points. I also appreciate the history of science resources several of you mentioned. Thank you! Anybody have any math ideas? Anyone know anything about Lego education resources and have any recommendations? Lego NXT kits are fantastic. There are lots of online resources. James Kelly also has some great books for them. If you can, find an FLL team for him to join. FLL is wonderful for problem solving, leadership, teamwork, science, and character building. Have you checked out the Hoagies site? http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/investigations.htm It has gobs of links with tons of wonderful ideas. 4H has great ideas for hands on projects as well. http://new.4-hcurriculum.org/projects/ This site is great for prompting discussions. Sometimes we actually do the writing assignment, sometimes we just ponder and discuss. http://www.theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/january/ Fun candy experiments http://www.candyexperiments.com/p/experiments.html 1 Minute Mysteries and 5 Minute Mysteries are good brain warm ups. Edited January 23, 2011 by MSNative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.