Throwing Marshmellows

“Learning can only happen when a child is interested. If he’s not interested it’s like throwing marshmallows at his head and calling it eating.”
- Anonymous

Science ! Science has always been the one subject, in the PAST, that I avoided sharing with Shayna. From my own childhood and time in school, I have a fear of science. It might have to do with my former Chemistry teacher, Ms. Rasmueun from High School. It might have to do with the "open ended"ness of the subject matter. Last year, (while she was in the "third grade") I overheard a conversation that Shayna had with her friends and she said how she didn't like science. Well, no wonder she didn't. We never did much with it. This year I made it my goal to have fun and do science.

Quickly, I realized this year that if I give her books, magazines, some "lessons" and do lots of hands on projects she is INTERESTED and LOVES science.

We are currently doing a unit through some of Dinah Zike's materials on the Earth Science. It was getting "a bit dull" even though we were making some cool "minit" books and doing LOTS of reading. Today, we are home with Shayna who has a horrible cough. She looks fine, has no fever, but is just hacking away. She looked at me early in the day and asked to do some science. The "lesson" (for lack of a better word) we were approaching was on faults and earthquakes. I looked at the material and decided we had to take it and make it FUN ! I jumped in the car, ran to AC Moore and got some of Crayola's Model Magic. (we love that stuff !)

Less than an hour later, INDEPENDENTLY Shayna made all different types of faults and folds in the lithosphere. HOW COOL IS THAT ?

Yes, it was Sunday and it is Easter Sunday at that (we are Jewish). School in our house happens 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, when the moment strikes, fall, winter, spring or summer.

Homeschooling allows us to do this ! Awesome !