By subject breakdown
SCIENCE is without doubt, Mr Curious' favourite subject. The most endearing aspect being the discovery of how things operate, whether it is machines or living beings. Mr Curious has always been utterly intrigued by the workings of his environment and I would say he started his laboratory work at the tender age of 5 months! I still reminisce about how I watched in amazement as he repeatedly threw a hand towel towards a table only to pull it slowly towards himself and check underneath before throwing the towel over again. It took me a few minutes to realise that he was trying to get hold of a small toy lying on the table and he kept checking under the towel to see if the object had travelled the distance to reach him.
As he grew older his escapades grew numerous and countless times were the source of my vexations. Emptying entire toilet rolls into the toilet bowl and pulling the flush to ensure if it will really clog the drain ( seeing that a paper has a tendency to dissolve in water...) or throwing marbles in the toilet and lying on the floor to detect the sound of rolling marbles in the pipes. He has since been carrying out one investigation or the other, all the time exploring and learning about the world that surrounds him. His interests changes constantly and he comes back to projects and books sporadically but we watch as he analyses, learns, understands, contemplates and concludes, about a variety of topics, on his own accord, without compulsion, with a tremendous drive of wanting to know.
During our first year Homeschooling, I invested in Singapore Science My Pals are here for year 2. They are well laid out and full of colourful photographs, so I assumed Mr Curious would love these book. He did indeed like looking at the photographs but the content was meagre according to his taste. Since, I have made the decision of not purchasing any science curriculum but to follow an interest led homeschooling approach for Science. Hence we do not follow any daily or weekly routine nor any pattern in learning about science.We have a large variety of good books in our home library and we borrow from our local library as well. Mr Curious though, loves to own his cherished books as he has a habit of going back to something he has read, either for referral purposes or just to read for pleasure.
Some the titles we have and love are
- Complete book of the Human Body (Internet linked)
- Understanding Your Body(Internet linked)
- Usborne Science Encyclopedia (Internet linked)
- Joy Hakim : The story of Science Aristotle (our latest and much loved addition)
Sometimes he requests to do a project on a topic which he has read about and wants to further deepen his understanding of. We then look for additional information on line, we visit museums with the specific topic in mind, we conduct experiments and we talk about the interest in question. As Mr Curious has improved in his writing skills, we have also done written projects which he loves to illustrate. As homeschooling gives us the freedom to change and adapt as required, we have had the luxury to foster the love of exploration that is inherent in every child.
We are currently looking into websites offering interactive on line science activities and would welcome any recommendations. I would also love to hear which Science Books are enjoyed in your home!
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