Teach the Scientific Method and Reduce Summer Learning Loss

Nature brings out the curious, questioning, and creative learner in all children. That is why the outdoors is such a wonderful learning environment. It also boosts health. Two researchers at Glasgow University and University of St. Andrews in Great Britain have recently concluded a study showing a strong link to green spaces and health, counteracting the effects of inner city deprivation.Why not take advantage of good weather and outdoor woodlands and parks to foster health while combating summer learning loss in your children? We suggest using nature's classroom to introduce children to the scientific method.

By involving your children in the "hands â€" on" approach of the scientist they learn math(measurements, calculation), writing (recording observations), critical thinking, creative problem solving, and scientific research methods.These skills learned in natural settings, will serve your children well as they prepare for their next grade. In addition, their immune system will build so they can better fight winter illnesses.

As human animals, we are a part of nature. Studies have shown links between decreased stress levels and lower rates of obesity in individuals who spend more time in outdoor activities and in natural settings. Research demonstrates an increased ability to concentrate in ADHD children who have spent a half-hour in pleasant, natural surroundings. Vitamin D, also a major benefit of sunshine, helps build strong bones and fortifies teeth. Vitamin D lowers the risk of getting osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

When I was a child, I spent summer week days in nature camp and weekends with my parents at the beach. My physician father used to stress the advantages of playing outdoors and accumulating Vitamin D. Playtime included activities that added to my understanding of science and the environment. I practiced making observations, developing hypotheses and recording what I saw. I was becoming educated without realizing it, healthy without knowing it.

Nature is the perfect classroom to help reduce learning loss that occurs in the months children are not in school. It also is a good place to practice a skill set that will help increase your child's analytic skills. The scientific method is a way of thinking. It involves observation, recording, and forming and testing hypothesis. Those who have the scientific method ingrained in their thought processes see and comprehend more of the world around them than those who do not. This summer why not take your children on a nature path that will serve them well in school next semester as well as throughout life.

Scientists are involved with measuring, observations, and recording.

1. Make a Map of your yard. Graph paper and pencil are all the supplies needed. If you don't have graph paper make your own by using a ruler and pencil to divide paper into equal squares.
a) Measure the perimeter of the yard using footsteps. Let each step equal one square on your home made graph paper or 2-3 squares on store bought paper. (You will have to decide how many squares will equal a foot so the whole yard will be on the map you draw.) Older children can use a measuring tape and make one foot measured on the tape equal a number of squares on the graph paper.

b) Draw in the pathways and entrance to the house or gates. Measure the yard to place objects in the correct place. Set furniture around the yard and measure the distances between the various pieces. Measure the size of flower beds. Remember that footsteps or a tape measure will work as a measuring tool.

c) Once the objects are placed correctly, use crayons to color the path, each piece of furniture, flower bed, etc. Create a legend (key) to explain the colors and how many squares on your graph paper equals a foot. i.e. brown may equal pathways; blue may be used for furniture, etc.

d) Once you complete the map of your yard you could decide to go a step further and become a landscape architect by redesigning the layout. Start with a blank piece of graph paper and draw the parts that can not change such as the yard size, fence and door openings. Then add new flower beds, paths, furniture, etc. Measure the graph paper to determine where these would be placed in your yard. Have fun being creative while learning to observe, measure, organize, and record.

2. Biology - Pond Activities

The basic goal of this exercise is to develop observational skills and to record and classify what is seen. You need your eyes, a way of magnifying your collection, a note book to record observations, and a measuring cup. (Additional equipment gives more options but is not necessary.)
a) Set your notebook up in two columns . Column 1 will be for all water activities recorded in flowing areas of the stream. Column 2 will be used to record water activities viewed in more stagnant areas of the stream.

b) Get a scope that lets you look underwater. If you don't have one try Sea-Scope. It is a 4X telescope that lets you observe underwater life in streams, ponds, and tide pools. What do you see?

c) Find two areas in your stream, one with free running water and the other stagnant. Record the conditions of the stream in your note book. Look at the water and determine if the water is clear or murky.

d) Take a water sample so you can look at it more closely. Can you see any insects in the water that are visible to the eye? If so, measure the creatures and record your observation in the correct column. Take a ½ ounce sample of the water so you can look at it under the living microscope. Water can be placed in a petri dish or clear glass dish and examined in the field with the microscope's removable eye piece or at home with the full microscope. If you don't have a microscope obtain a magnifying glass or binoculars. Your observation may not be as clear but you will learn how to observe and record information. If you see objects in the water, count how many you see in half an oz. of water.

e) In your journal draw what you saw under the microscope. Note the time of day, day of week, weather conditions, and location in the stream. (Is it under a log, at a bend in the stream, where two streams come together , etc?) Measure the amount of liquid being studied. Did you take the water from the surface of the pond or at the bottom? Did you record in column 1 for clear running water, or column 2 for stagnant water?

f) Can you say anything about the stream now that you have observed and recorded your activities? You might try looking at the stream after a heavy rain, or when the sun has been out and the water level is low. Can you guess what you will see in low water levels versus high water levels? Record your observations. What did you discover?

Scientists practice the scientific method by forming a hypothesis (a guess about the outcome) and testing the hypothesis.

3. Solar Activity - Cook an Egg in the Sun

You will need a thermometer and a clock. Find out how long it takes to cook an egg outdoors. This experiment needs to be done on a day when the temperature is over 90 degrees.

a) Take an egg and open it on a plate so it is sunny side up. Set it outside on a hot summers day. Record the temperature and the time. Record the condition of the white part and yellow yoke of the sunny side egg every 30 minutes until it looks cooked.

b) Try scrambling an egg. before placing it on a plate. Will it cook as fast as the sunny side egg? Form a hypothesis (test) and then do the test to see if your reasoning works. Try the experiment when the outdoor temperature is close to 100 degrees.

Nature's ever ending mysteries are more intriguing to those who become critical observers. For more ideas of summer science activities look at the museumtour.com. Many of our kits, books, and activities will give you a start.