Wednesday, September 15, 2010

My Personal Science Story

My science story is a little vague.  There were not many experiments that I can recall from my elementary school experience.  My memories of science class included a lot of note taking and studying concepts that were just words to me because I hadn't been exposed to them in a visual/hands on way.  I do remember dissecting a frog when I was in highschool which I found to be fascinating.  While some of my fellow peers were complaining I remember grabbing my instruments and really getting involved with that frog unit.  It was so amazing to me how clear the organs appeared inside the frog and it helped me to better undertand the functions. 

One of my favorite things to do is to explore nature when I can.  I have always loved the outdoors and the beauty of nature.  Butterflies are one of the most beautiful creatures to me and I can remember getting really involved with my children's butterfly units from school.  They were so intrigued because their teachers were actually growing butterflies from caterpillars in the class which allowed them to observe and collect data and feel like they were a part of the experiment.  It was great to see them so excited about science.

I strongly believe that if we as teachers are excited about science then we have a better chance of our students being excited and inspired to learn.  However, if we are to engage the younger students we need to be able to include them in experiments that they can see and touch so that it will be meaningful information to them.  Most children are so curious at a young age which in my opinion is a perfect prerequisite for studying science.

6 comments:

  1. Kathy,
    Thanks for sharing your science story. It is interesting that the thing that you remember most is something hands-on (dissecting frogs).

    Sounds like you might want to do the butterfly unit with the kids.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Kathy,

    Have you or your kids been to the butterfly farm (I think it's in Weston)?? I've taken my daughter a couple times and she loves it, especially when a butterfly landed on her!!

    They also have a butterfly exhibit at the Franklin Zoo that is pretty cool too-- have you been there?

    My mother is a big butterfly enthusiast and she loves monarchs, do you have a favorite?

    SARAH ROSS

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Kathy,
    I too enjoyed dissecting the frog. I am an animal lover, but I still found this really amazing. We also dissected a shark and an eyeball. Did you get to dissect anything else?
    Megan

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Kathy,

    They also have a Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science in Boston. It is really cool! I stayed in there for more than an hour. They had so many kinds of butterflies and moths, some as big as both hands put together. I had 3 land on me at one time! It's definitely worth checking out!

    ~Becky

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Kathy,

    I have always loved butterflies too! They are beautiful and I'll never forget when we took a field trip to the Butterfly Place. I don't remember where it is located but it was really neat.

    I remember dissecting a frog too. I also remember the boy next to me picking the frog up and making it dance on my leg. I was pretty freaked out by that but dissecting the frog was interesting. It also smelled really bad! Haha.

    I love your blog! :) Your children are adorable! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post, Kathy. Your last paragraph about needing to engage children made me think of the "Jennie video" from this week's assignment...how she said that kids are the most natural scientists because they're so curious and eager to learn things through touch and experimentation. It's exciting!

    ReplyDelete