Keeping our Eyes Open to Science

As both a teacher and a mom I am very concerned about creating adults who are scientifically literate. In a perfect world I would love to see more kids, especially girls going into the STEM careers but I would settle for adults who can think and understand basic science. As a nation who has been a leader in science and technology it is disheartening to see that we are losing that lead.
The last couple of weeks I have been giving the CSAP (the high stakes test in Colorado). I give the oral presentation to 5th graders who cannot read at a 5th grade level. I read the math and science tests to them so we can test what they know about math and science without their poor reading skills getting in the way. I have been astounded at their lack of knowledge in basic science. They didn’t even get the sample questions right, which are the easy ones that get them started. Interestingly my daughter and I had just been talking about one of the topics for the sample questions and she knew all about it, turns out she had learned it in preschool (she is four). She told me in great detail what the fifth graders did not know. Was it because it was a factoid that was fresh in her mind and after all those years the fifth graders had forgotten it? I don’t think so, it was very basic concept. By the way I am deliberately not saying what it was because I do not want to give away any test secrets, enough to know it was a question a 4 year old could answer.
My daughter is smart (what else would I say) but she is not some sort of amazing science genius (I cannot prove or disprove that statement, yet.). So why can she answer it but not 5th graders? Perhaps it is because she comes from a scientifically literate home. What does a scientifically literate home look like? Simple. We observe the world around us, we talk about science, and we do a little kitchen science. Do you have to have a degree in science to do this? No. Here are some examples:

o We went for a walk yesterday and we heard woodpeckers pecking. We stopped to listen, determined where the sound was coming from, found the woodpecker in the tree, watched it and wondered why it was doing that. It took 2-3 minutes to observe and wonder.

o We got some dry ice in a package and so we didn’t let it go to waste, I went online and found a quick and easy experiment, we played all evening and learned about the properties of dry ice.

o We made water rockets, a great summer activity. I didn’t explain rocket science, but we talked about the water as a “fuel”, and the need for the fins to make it stable.

o We observe pill bugs, ants, praying mantis, and daddy long legs all the time. We talk about them and what they do, if we have questions we search in books or the internet for answers.
The main thing we do is activate our sense of wonder, kids already have it, as and adult I just need to find mine, and that often happens by looking through her eyes.
Some research just came out about when scientists decided to become scientists. The answer, elementary school. Why? They had an experience that they never forgot. Here is a link about the research: http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=11207.
So maybe the dry ice, the woodpecker, the water rockets or the praying mantis might be the catalyst for my daughter’s future career. Even if it is not, she is curious and asks questions, she likes science. She may keep her mind open to it, learn about it. She will be able to read and article in the paper about science and understand it. How hard is it to give all kids that chance? It is also a great excuse to have a little fun as an adult!

            
Dry ice and water rockets!