The basis of science is observing and recording those observations. Sometimes we perform experiments and make a hypothesis about what the results may be. But if you have young children, teaching them about the scientific method may be challenging. An easy and fun way to begin teaching kids about science is to teach them about making and recording their observations.
A fun science project I like to do with my kids is make an observation journal. At the beginning of “quarantine” or the shut down of school, I made a few of these observation journals for my daughters. We made one for birds, plant germination, and measurements. They loved it so much that it is something I have decided to continue. These are also great for younger kids who can draw but not write yet.
How to make an observation journal
All you need to make these journals is:
- Stapler
- A few sheets of blank printer paper
- 1 piece of construction paper
Once you’ve gathered your materials, fold the printer and construction papers in half (hamburger style) and staple them where the binding of a book would be. Viola! You’re done. All you have to do now is decide what you’d like to observe and record.
5 Senses Nature Journal
We recently read the book Who Owns The Sun by Stacy Chbosky. In it there is great use of imagery and many places where she writes about the senses. As a way to incorporate a science lesson into our learning we made a 5 Senses nature journal.
Not only was this a fun experiment, it also helped us get our exercise for the day as we were out walking and running around for about an hour.
Inside the journal I wrote a header for each page. I see…, I hear…, I feel…, I smell… and I taste…(that was a little challenging).
Before we started our nature walk we discussed the 5 senses and what each is. I let them know that they should pay close attention to all the things that they would see and hear along the way. I also let them know that if they saw something that they wanted to touch that they should go feel it and make a note of the texture as well as see if it has any smell.
We started our walk and I had them close their eyes and tell me what they heard. They told me they heard dogs barking, birds chirping, and sirens from a police car. While their eyes were closed I also had them tell me what they felt. They first told me that they felt the paper in their hands but I asked them what they felt without using their hands. They told me they felt the wind and the sun. It was fun to get them to use their senses in a different way than they are used to.
Once we made a few observations we stopped and recorded them. My younger daughter just turned 4 and is learning to write so I had her draw pictures of what she observed and I wrote down what she told me. My older daughter recently turned 6 and is very good at writing. I had her draw pictures as well as write down the things that she observed. We continued to make observations as we walked to the park near our house
Finding something to taste was the hardest part. I wanted them to taste things, but probably not grass or dirt. Even though they have had their fair share of these in the past. When we went to the park we found a huge Bur Oak tree. After doing some research I found out that all acorns are edible, but you can only eat them raw in small amounts because they have a large amount of tannins which are an anti-nutrient to humans. I also found out that if you “leach” them you can either eat them or use them to cook with. Who knew I would learn something while teaching kids about science?
I decided to try and leach them but that didn’t turn out well at all. So I tossed them and we decided to search for something edible in our back yard. One plant that most people see as a “weed” but is actually edible is the common mallow plant or cheese weed (because the fruit looks like wheels of cheese). Here is a great article about the plant and it’s uses. Because all parts of the plant are edible and there were no flowers or fruit at this time of year, we harvested some of the young leaves from the mallow that grow very well in our yard. We washed them and recorded our observations.
Both of my daughters and I tried the mallow plant leaves. My younger daughter tried it and immediately spit it out (she doesn’t like vegetables very much). My older daughter tried it and loved it. She told me she could eat them all day. They are actually quite mild tasting and my older daughter described them as sweet. As we were using our senses with the mallow root, I talked a little bit about the plant and what it has been used for in the past. Did you know that Native Americans used to use the mallow plant as a poultice for wounds and also as a laxative? I had no idea that a plant in my backyard had such an interesting history.
I love these observation journals because they are so simple and most of the time the things you choose to observe are inexpensive or free. Teaching kids about science is so much fun. Doing it in an interactive way is even more fun. This simple project gets everyone involved and learning new things. When we encourage learning through play, our children are more likely to want to learn and to retain more information. So get out there and explore with your little ones and remember to have fun!