Everyday Educator - Creating Summer Scientists: Easy Activities for Curious Kids
00:00:00.000 | Well, hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of The Everyday Educator. I am so
00:00:09.920 | excited. I was literally just saying to Amy Jones, who's here with me today, that I'm
00:00:14.600 | so excited about this conversation because I think it's really going to stretch me. And
00:00:18.980 | I'm hopeful that as you hear and feel me stretch into the topic of science, that that encourages
00:00:25.820 | you today. So I just want to remind you before we get started, if you're not a part of a Classical
00:00:31.600 | Conversations community, that really is the best place for you to go to learn more about
00:00:37.240 | how to homeschool, to learn more about what it's like to classically Christian educate your
00:00:43.500 | child. And so we want to encourage you to definitely find that in-person community. And you can find
00:00:48.780 | that online at classicalconversations.com. But without any further ado, I've got Amy Jones
00:00:54.380 | in the house. Amy, hi. Hi. It's good to be here. And this is my favorite topic. So thanks
00:00:59.860 | for inviting me. This is going to be so fun. I know you're probably not new to say 85% of
00:01:05.980 | our listeners, because we have you on here a lot. But just in case they don't know who
00:01:09.900 | you are, what you do, will you just introduce yourself to everyone?
00:01:12.980 | Oh, sure. My name is Amy Jones. I live here in Tennessee with my husband. And we have four
00:01:19.940 | children. And I call them three bonus children. Three of my children are married. And we have
00:01:27.140 | just, they have lovely families. And we have nine, soon to be 10 grandchildren. So they keep
00:01:33.840 | us busy. And fortunately, they're within an hour or so of our house. So we get to pester
00:01:39.120 | them as much as we want. It's really fun. And we homeschooled our kids. The very beginning,
00:01:46.600 | when my oldest was, I think when they're born, you start homeschooling, don't you? And then all
00:01:52.680 | the way through my, our youngest son just graduated from, oh goodness, college a couple of years ago.
00:02:00.120 | And he's just finished his first year of med school. So hooray for him. Many prayers,
00:02:06.680 | many prayers. So we were just delighted to be able to have the privilege of homeschooling
00:02:11.480 | and just being with each other, the ups and downs, you know, the bumps and bruises, but just
00:02:17.640 | lots of laughter. And, and what I was reflecting on today was that we, um, we still have those
00:02:25.160 | conversations. Hmm. You know, the ones that you had around the table that your mom brought you
00:02:30.660 | together and you talked about, we still have those conversations. So it doesn't end. So yeah.
00:02:36.440 | Well, that's encouraging to hear because, you know, I think sometimes parents do worry and you never
00:02:43.160 | know how your life is going to turn out, but we worry that we're going to invest so much on the front
00:02:47.060 | end. And then our children are just going to want to run out that door. You know, we let them go
00:02:51.460 | and they don't want to come back. But the fact that you've cultivated a community within your family,
00:02:57.140 | where you have good conversations, it's just beautiful because of course they would long for
00:03:02.820 | that. So they do come back. Um, and I love that they live so close to you so you can go to them.
00:03:08.340 | Well, today, as I said earlier, we're going to talk all about science specifically during the summer.
00:03:16.020 | you can, of course, apply the ideas that we talk all year long, but, um, the ideas that we discuss
00:03:21.940 | all year long. But right now we want to talk about what it looks like to lean into science activities,
00:03:30.260 | scientific exploration with your children during the summertime. And I'd love for you to just take us
00:03:36.500 | on a trip down memory lane, Amy and tell us maybe what, what did that look like for you and your family
00:03:41.940 | when your kids were growing up? Oh, that's such a good question. Um, yeah, I think every season and, uh,
00:03:50.420 | the season from spring to summer is always the most dramatic for kids because usually if you're not
00:03:57.060 | homeschooling year round, that's like, we're free, you know, and mom's like, we're free, I'm free.
00:04:03.140 | So that transition to summer was always much anticipated and there were countdowns and all
00:04:11.860 | sorts of things that our children did. So, um, it was, uh, summer is a nice season for us. We live
00:04:19.700 | in Tennessee so we can play outside. And that was really the focus. Summer is more relaxed. It's a
00:04:27.220 | more relaxed time. It's, and I would just encourage parents, especially to take that time to relax. Um,
00:04:33.620 | sometimes I would, as the children get older, I would say, Oh, we're going to finish up whatever,
00:04:39.140 | like math or that, or that stack of books we didn't get through. I would really encourage moms not to do
00:04:47.620 | that. Um, because we all need kind of a, a hard stop in places and we need a good start in places.
00:04:56.100 | And I felt like when I tried to kind of weasel in those extra lessons that it just felt kind of
00:05:04.100 | deflating instead of we need to rejuvenate, we need to reflect and be revitalized. And there's no better
00:05:14.100 | place to do that than in God's creation. And so I had really active three active sons and a very active
00:05:21.380 | daughter. So we spent time outside, um, and, uh, on walks or going to the pool or even when it gets
00:05:31.380 | really hot, the library, just really taking some time to, um, explore some of those areas that we
00:05:39.060 | didn't get to do during what we call the school year. So I would really encourage, um, a mom to a,
00:05:48.180 | not feel guilty to really reflect on all that God has done in their school year, and then make that
00:05:54.660 | transition to a restful summer. Um, so I think in both you and your husband, I think that's a really
00:06:01.700 | great conversation to have, you know, like go out to dinner and just reflect on all that God has done.
00:06:07.780 | Don't make plans, you know, that's not a business meeting, um, but just reflect and then delight in,
00:06:15.300 | um, okay, I have this time. And you might also just, I, it was helpful for me to go, we stop at this date
00:06:22.820 | date and we start at this date. So I could tell, okay, here's the free space. I had one child that
00:06:30.660 | always wanted to know, when do we have to go back and go, well, it's not tomorrow. So, so I would just
00:06:39.620 | definitely encourage you to enjoy this change of season and, uh, and rest and reflect. So celebrate.
00:06:47.620 | That's, yeah, that's such great advice. I think more and more I've heard people talk about what
00:06:54.820 | they call the summer slide. We just did another episode on reading with Kelly Wilt and she was
00:07:01.540 | talking about the summer slide. I'm like, see, I'm hearing it everywhere. Everybody is concerned
00:07:06.420 | about this idea of their children forgetting everything during the summertime. And while,
00:07:11.060 | yeah, you want to keep your kids learning and that's important. I do think you just hit on such,
00:07:16.420 | such a kingdom principle of rhythms of rest and work. And it, I think we just need to be aware
00:07:26.340 | as believers that that is a place that maybe the enemy is trying to steal from us and, and sort of
00:07:32.820 | make us think that we have to, we have to work first to get our rest when actually the pattern of the entire
00:07:39.780 | universe, like from creation on is he rested and then he worked. And so he has us starting,
00:07:48.100 | starting from that posture. And really that's a way that we show our reliance on him and our trust in
00:07:54.820 | him. And what you just said, we're able to reflect and rejoice and celebrate all that God has done and
00:08:01.700 | to realize that, you know, of course we're trying to be diligent and faithful and there's a place for
00:08:06.420 | that. Um, but also the harvest comes from the one who sits on the throne. So I really love that you
00:08:14.180 | brought that into the conversation from the onset, because I think it's important for us to remember,
00:08:18.900 | regardless of what we're trying to encourage our families to learn or glean, that we can do that
00:08:25.540 | from a place of rest and, um, and it'll be more fulfilling if we do that. Um, and I think we know that in some
00:08:34.020 | areas of our life, but when it comes to education, we just feel like.
00:08:38.260 | We just feel the right of it.
00:08:39.780 | Yeah, it feels huge.
00:08:41.940 | As, as my children got older, I feel like it was really important now that they're, they're married and have
00:08:48.820 | their own children, um, that it's really important as a mom that you're modeling that faith of rest.
00:08:55.940 | I think it's an act of faith and that God is going to take care of us. And instead I thought,
00:09:02.340 | I just didn't want to inflict my anxiety on them. And then they feel sort of trapped like, oh, mom's not
00:09:10.020 | happy instead of just giving them the gift of rest and giving them that permission. I mean, do you,
00:09:18.340 | I remember I had a grandmother and I would work close near, near home and have lunch with her.
00:09:23.700 | And she would say, now you just go lay down on that bed and take a little nap. And I thought
00:09:28.500 | it was funny because I was in high school. I didn't really need a nap, but what she gave me was permission
00:09:35.300 | to rest. You need to rest. And I think we need to give ourselves permission, but I think it's really
00:09:43.060 | important to model for your children. You can rest. And because they're going to have children,
00:09:49.540 | hopefully one day, and you don't want them to be feeling like this loaded burden of we've got to
00:09:58.020 | always be producing something that that's not true. Yeah. The enemy wants to steal that from us. Yes.
00:10:03.540 | It's not true. And just as you say that you're making me think of this quote, you know, Lisa Bailey,
00:10:09.620 | the other host of this show. And she sent me this quote in the light of our conversation that I think
00:10:16.260 | just encapsulates what you said perfectly. This is by Mr. Fred Rogers. He says, "It seems to me that some
00:10:24.980 | of us value information over wonder and noise over silence. And I feel that we need a lot more wonder
00:10:33.380 | and a lot more silence in our lives." That's nice.
00:10:36.740 | And when we're thinking about science, it's true that some of the greatest discoveries come
00:10:44.660 | from those places of rest, from those places of silence and wonder and sitting back and observing.
00:10:53.300 | So as we dive into this conversation, the first thing I would love to hear you define is just,
00:10:59.860 | what is science? This conversation could go so many different directions from your perspective.
00:11:04.980 | What does it look like? What is science? How would you describe that?
00:11:09.460 | Well, the word science means knowledge, but it's much more than that. First of all, God created science.
00:11:15.540 | He's the originator of all this. All that we know, both visible and invisible,
00:11:23.460 | was in the mind of God from the beginning. And as he made creation, spoke these words that brought light
00:11:35.220 | and brought dry land and plants and animals. It's so incredible. And he was thinking in his mind as he
00:11:44.340 | is hiding treasures that we are going to find. That's science. It's engaging with the natural world
00:11:51.940 | that God has made, whether it's a physics world or a biology world or a botany world. It doesn't
00:11:58.100 | matter. We, we make those distinctions. Um, but all of that is our invitations for understanding him.
00:12:05.860 | And that's what his, his purpose is, is that we're going to understand his nature and his power. And so
00:12:13.780 | looking for God in his creation is, is really the, is science that is the study of God's creation. Um,
00:12:24.260 | and to realize that he's the originator and what we know about him, since we know how wonderful he is
00:12:31.060 | and creative and subtle and humorous, since we know that all about him, then the, then everything we
00:12:38.660 | discover gives us another insight into his nature. So I just think it's, I, I used to, I don't, you know,
00:12:46.580 | we categorize science in, in schools, you know, you do science and you do math, but I think that again,
00:12:54.260 | that's a false, um, a false category. I think, um, we live and breathe in this world and that's where
00:13:01.300 | science is. So, so it's just recognizing that it's just looking around and going, Oh, and asking,
00:13:07.380 | huh, I wonder. Uh huh. Uh huh. I couldn't agree with you more. Yeah. And it, you know, it's so funny
00:13:16.660 | because I came into this particular conversation thinking and, you know, preparing for it thinking,
00:13:22.820 | okay, let's talk about plants and animals and nature walks. And, you know, and just to be transparent
00:13:28.580 | with everyone, I was a child who was a little bit resistant and I'm not sure why we could dig into
00:13:35.300 | that, but we won't right now. I was a little bit resistant to what people typically called quote
00:13:41.300 | science. I just didn't science and math. Those are two areas where I just felt, you know, I don't know
00:13:48.500 | if I care. I don't know if I'm interested and I certainly don't like the way you're presenting it,
00:13:54.660 | you know, so let's move on type thing. And so, um, while I was preparing for this conversation,
00:14:01.860 | it was easy for me to assume that I fully understood all the ways that you could
00:14:06.740 | scientifically explore. Cause I have a college degree and I've done chemistry and I've done,
00:14:12.900 | you know, all of these different things. And then I thought to myself, well, you know what,
00:14:15.780 | I think I do science all the time in my garden when I cook dinner and when I, when I study my
00:14:26.340 | child, you know, I'm so fascinated by neurological development and I absolutely love thinking about
00:14:33.060 | the way that people interact and how, what portions of that are, are actually attached to their biology
00:14:39.700 | and what portions of that are shifting because of where they are like that nurture nature conversation.
00:14:45.300 | But there's a lot to that or psychology, like that's a type of science. I really love that.
00:14:50.420 | And so I, I want to encourage our listeners to think outside the box. I mean, yes, we want you to go outside.
00:14:56.500 | There's a lot to that. Um, and we're going to talk about some things you can do outside.
00:15:01.140 | Also, if you have a child who maybe has an unconventional love of science, encourage that
00:15:08.740 | too, because yeah, they could find that in, in a place that you wouldn't expect. Um, and, and that
00:15:16.500 | too reveals back to what you were just saying, God's nature and his power. That's why I love learning
00:15:23.140 | about the brain so much. I think God is brilliant. He is brilliant. And the fact that he planted so many
00:15:29.620 | of these things that, that some people discovered and some people never do in the body, it blows my
00:15:36.980 | mind. You can hear I'm speechless. So that's where we end up. And, and you're exactly right, Delisa.
00:15:43.300 | Sometimes, um, other science, you know, when we think of, oh, like botany or maybe chemistry,
00:15:48.580 | we should start going into chemistry. And it's really, you just think of it as like,
00:15:53.940 | you just moved into a new country. You're just learning a new language, like chemistry.
00:15:58.740 | The reason that I think we get put off by different science subjects is we haven't learned that
00:16:04.820 | language. And, and no one taught us that, you know what, this is just unfamiliar to you.
00:16:10.100 | You just don't know it yet. And actually, you know, a lot more than you think, you know,
00:16:15.620 | you know, because if you've ever dissolved, you know, made a cup of tea, you you've done some
00:16:21.780 | physical science. If you've ever like, you know, scrubbed your bathtub with, with comet, you've,
00:16:27.860 | you've done some chemistry, you know, you, you are already familiar. There's no, there is no area of
00:16:35.700 | science that you as a human being have not experienced. And when you drink out of a straw,
00:16:40.900 | you've just made physics because you've lowered the pressure, you know, it's, you just don't know what it is.
00:16:47.140 | And so I think that I think it's unfortunate that science in our, in our public school or modern
00:16:55.780 | education disconnects us from the, from the world. We are in labs or on the, in the classroom and we're
00:17:02.980 | reading books. So we don't see that integration of, in our natural life with the subject. And that's true.
00:17:12.260 | And I think with people who love like are drawn to literature or, um, or words, it's because we're
00:17:18.820 | so much more familiar with words. We use language all the time. So it's a familiar world. So yeah,
00:17:25.300 | I think it, it does. Um, once you're sort of past that, but I'll tell you that your children don't know
00:17:33.220 | that they've never been to high school. Your children don't know that. So they just think the world is like
00:17:40.020 | like a playground of science. They don't have any categories. So you are the one that will change.
00:17:44.980 | So they think it's delightful and you'll go, well, I never thought about that, you know? So it's,
00:17:54.020 | it's nice. It's nice.
00:17:55.540 | It's so, that's so true. And I think the caution or the encouragement for me and for us as, as parents is
00:18:03.460 | for us to not squash it, you know, just like stand back and don't squash it. If you're not excited,
00:18:09.860 | that's fine. Let them be excited about the bug. Let them want to take their time to ask more questions
00:18:17.220 | about the thing. Don't, don't project your own feelings, you know, or maybe past experiences on them,
00:18:24.900 | because it's true that I landed on that perspective because of my experiences, but he has experiences
00:18:34.500 | and I want them to be positive ones. And so, um, in the, and at the end of the day, we are all trying
00:18:39.780 | to get the same place, which is to know God and to make him known. So science is an area where I want
00:18:45.540 | him to feel that he's done that. What makes the summer, Amy, just so uniquely ripe for scientific
00:18:54.180 | exploration? Oh, well, things are growing all over the place. So we are looking, life is around us and
00:19:01.860 | it's the dormant winter has passed. Um, days are longer. The sun is in the sky. We get to go outside.
00:19:11.220 | The skies are beautiful in the evening. There are meteorite showers in August. So you can go and
00:19:17.940 | hope to find one, or if you don't, it was fun to try. Um, there are all sorts of activities that are
00:19:24.020 | going on in the summer, like at national parks or in your, um, in your community that invites you to be
00:19:30.820 | outside. Um, so I would say that I, I say outside because it just lends itself. Now I would say you should
00:19:38.980 | be outside all the year round, but because the, of the climate and because of that relaxed feel that
00:19:47.540 | we have in the summer, it's inviting for that reason. Also, you can, um, do a lot of science that
00:19:56.980 | you may not have been able to do in outside during the winter. You can, I like, especially like with
00:20:04.500 | growing things and looking at critters and watching birds. There's just so much life going on outside.
00:20:12.100 | So that's what makes science a lot of fun in, in the summertime. And also, uh, honestly, if you are a
00:20:20.020 | little more relaxed with your summer schedule, which I really hope you are, that you can start doing some
00:20:25.380 | things, bringing nature inside and giving time to observe and reflect. So allowing,
00:20:33.700 | like you were saying that quiet or restful time, you're usually, um, our summers weren't just chock
00:20:41.300 | full of like, you know, soccer practice and piano and all that kind of thing, uh, that we had a
00:20:48.020 | little more flexibility. So not to fill up their days with activity, but, but to really utilize some
00:20:55.540 | of that downtime to go, okay, we're going to, and just think of something that you maybe recognize.
00:21:02.500 | Like, is there something that they kind of were stirred in their heart? Like we had one of my
00:21:08.420 | children really got into bonsai trees. Now I'm not sure why. Um, so we didn't have any bonsai trees
00:21:15.860 | growing around. It takes like 30 years to have a very long time, but we had a ton of these little tiny,
00:21:24.100 | um, plant things of, of evergreen bushes that look like bonsai trees. So we dug up all sorts of things
00:21:32.580 | and brought them in the house and we planted them. And so look for adventures and listen for what
00:21:38.660 | your child, uh, for what that brings about that curiosity. You know, um, also, if you think about,
00:21:47.300 | like, if you're around any of the water, like ponds or lakes or rivers, um, those are great. It's a great
00:21:55.540 | time to go explore along the shore and put, you know, um, look under rotted, you know, wood and
00:22:05.380 | scrape off bark. Yeah. Be, um, I think just really, it's a great time to engage with the natural world
00:22:12.180 | because you have a little extra time and because, um, it's, it's, it's just inviting you. Everything's
00:22:18.820 | green. I don't know about where you are, but everything here is green. So it's welcoming you
00:22:26.100 | into that world. So yeah, I would think definitely for summer, that's a, it's a great time to take
00:22:32.260 | advantage of that. Absolutely. It's a huge invitation. And you know, I'm, I'm in North Carolina as well,
00:22:38.740 | but I think about people who live in Arizona, there's something else inviting you there, you know,
00:22:43.380 | so wherever you are there, there is an invitation. And the question is, are you coming? You know,
00:22:50.020 | like, are you answering the invitation? And I love that you said, look for adventures. That's such a
00:22:55.700 | beautiful way to, to think about it. And it is so full of wonder. And, you know, we say here a lot at
00:23:04.660 | classical conversations that the world life is a treasure hunt and it's because it is, there's actually
00:23:10.660 | something to be discovered. It's not that we're out there wondering, hoping that we're going to
00:23:15.700 | stumble on something. God says that if we seek him, we'll find him when we search for him with all of
00:23:21.220 | our hearts. So there's that sense of assurance that we have, which is really encouraging when we look for
00:23:29.140 | him in the natural world or we look for him in our math or wherever, whatever we're saying, whatever we're
00:23:35.140 | doing to know that he wants to be found by us. I think it's really, that's really beautiful. It's
00:23:40.660 | really cool to know. One of the things that is helpful is just spend some time in prayer for your
00:23:46.260 | family. Like what are some things that maybe they really stump struggled with this past year? You know,
00:23:54.660 | maybe there's an area that, um, didn't come as naturally and, um, or they didn't feel as invited
00:24:02.740 | to the table. I think of it that way, um, to think, okay, what are some things Lord that, and he is so
00:24:10.100 | good about giving you, um, good ideas for your kids. What are some things that we could do this summer
00:24:17.300 | that really, um, ignite, um, ignite that curiosity again? And, um, and then just watch and wait,
00:24:24.260 | because I do think that, that all our kids is, you know, none of them are the same and they have their
00:24:31.300 | own unique pers, uh, perspective on the world. And just, just be sure to be aware of that. Like there's
00:24:40.500 | some children are like little magnets. They're like drawn to different things. So just watch that and just,
00:24:46.500 | and, and really feed, um, use the summer as an opportunity to, to bolster, um, some confidence
00:24:55.380 | and some love and delight and, and uncover some passions that you didn't realize when in the midst
00:25:03.060 | of such a busy year. So it's also a summer is a good time for you as a parent and your, and your husband,
00:25:09.380 | of course, to look and recognize, oh, here's, here's a little love and, and let's, let's feed
00:25:15.700 | that. So, and science to me is a natural place or the world is a natural place for that to happen.
00:25:21.620 | So that's a great encouragement. Yeah. Our little guy right now is very into drawing. And even to the
00:25:29.380 | point where I was in the adult nonfiction picking up a book, I think I was on the cooking aisle or so I'm
00:25:35.060 | looking on one side and he's looking on the other side and he pulls out a book on drawing and it was
00:25:41.140 | drawing superheroes because he's that passionate about it that he just naturally grabs this one.
00:25:46.260 | He says, can I please get this? And of course I can't tell you no, you know, but it's, it's true
00:25:51.060 | that there is that invitation to feed their curiosity and to encourage, to nurture their love of, of
00:25:56.900 | learning. Um, especially in the summertime when you have a little bit more margin. I know some,
00:26:03.060 | some, some parents who were just having this conversation, um, a couple of weeks ago are
00:26:09.620 | hesitant to lean in to scientific exploration because of the mess. And a lot of parents will
00:26:18.740 | say, and we love and are thankful that community is a great place for you to go. They will say,
00:26:24.660 | hey, we only do science and community because I don't want to do the dissections. I don't want to
00:26:32.100 | do X, Y, Z. Um, and it smells, you know, if you're going to order a dissection kit, we're going to
00:26:38.820 | definitely honor the fact that it's going to be a mess. But how would you speak to a mom who really
00:26:44.500 | finds herself recoiling when she thinks about science because of the mess?
00:26:48.340 | Oh, oh, how would, well, I kind of lived on the proverb. Um, I think it's Proverbs 14, four,
00:26:55.940 | where it says where there's no oxen in the crib, it's clean, but much increase. Oh, see, let me think
00:27:04.740 | if I can, if I can think about it. Much increase is by the strength of the ox. Okay. So basically that
00:27:12.340 | sounds really weird, but basically what that means, if you, uh, an empty, uh, stall is perfectly clean,
00:27:20.820 | it doesn't, doesn't get dirty at all. But in order to have, um, something productive,
00:27:28.340 | in order to have something that brings about some kind of like an ox works hard and produces something
00:27:36.580 | from the hard work that you're going to have a messy stall. So you can have a super neat house.
00:27:42.900 | And really by this time, if you're homeschooling, you, you probably should be over that by now.
00:27:48.100 | If you have any children in the house for a long period of time, um, that that's past your past that,
00:27:57.380 | but I would just say, um, a couple of things. First of all, I would just, um, section off an area
00:28:05.140 | of your home. That's a, that all you need is a table that you can get beat up on. I would say
00:28:12.500 | a box of stuff that you're going to use. And I use, um, like a tray, like if you have a plastic tray with a
00:28:20.420 | lip and usually you can find them at the dollar store, you know, something, a serving tray. And that's
00:28:26.980 | like your, that's like a place where you put your specimens. So whenever you drag in from the outside,
00:28:33.940 | just stick it on the tray and, and put it in a place. If it, if it, um, put it in a place that's
00:28:41.060 | a way, if it bothers you, you know, put it in another room, but make a space in your home that it's really
00:28:47.300 | okay. And, and I think also allow for that exploration. I think part of what I struggle with is I
00:28:56.580 | would get this big elaborate, um, uh, experiment together and, you know, last like three minutes.
00:29:04.100 | And then, and then they would all, and they'd be kind of bored and they'd be like, okay, is that it?
00:29:09.540 | You know? And you go like, oh, I spent like $500, not really, you know, I spent time and I wrote,
00:29:15.140 | you know, went to Amazon and I read a book and, and now it's like, you know, it's like making a really
00:29:20.660 | nice meal and they just kind of go, I don't like, you know, steak. Um, so I would say, keep it really
00:29:27.940 | simple for yourself and allow them to take some initiative in that, you know, all of this is
00:29:35.220 | training. So if, if it gets really messy, well, now part of the deal is, uh, one of our rules in our
00:29:41.380 | home was you do not cause unnecessary work for others. So, so when you're finished doing science,
00:29:49.460 | part of science being a good, uh, lab partner is cleaning it up is restoring order. So it doesn't
00:29:57.860 | have to be chaotic. So use things around your house. You don't have to get new stuff, put, um, create a
00:30:04.420 | space that it's okay, that you might have a little scientist that, that lingers on that, at that table,
00:30:10.340 | and then make sure that you practice the good habit of, of setting things up and putting things away.
00:30:18.980 | And if you want, you want, I used to have just a cardboard boxes that things that had a label,
00:30:24.580 | stick it all in here. And, um, and so that's what I would just say and just give it a shot. You know,
00:30:30.180 | the, um, the messiness is nothing, but, but if you, if your goal is to have a clean house,
00:30:35.380 | I don't even know if homeschooling is for you.
00:30:38.580 | It's just, you just can't. I'm a mom of three boys. Forget it.
00:30:47.780 | I just, you just give up. I mean, you just, well, I mean, you just have an, or I guess what I would say
00:30:53.300 | is there's an order to your home that's lovely and inviting, but then there is that,
00:31:00.100 | uh, clean, you know, you know what I mean? That he kind of, if we, you know, things are out of order,
00:31:08.580 | uh, I, you know, something's off then that that's a little, that, that doesn't work very well. So,
00:31:15.300 | and also remember that my home is not my home. It's everyone. So it's, that's good. So.
00:31:22.260 | Hey everybody. We want to interrupt the show to let you know that national memory master and national
00:31:28.820 | commencement are moving to the classical conversations, family cruise in 2026. That's right.
00:31:37.300 | This cruise isn't just about celebrating CC graduates and memory masters. It's about all CC families. You
00:31:45.140 | you can connect with CC leaders and families at all sages in their journey and turn education into a
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00:32:06.340 | 2026. Let's get back to the show. We hope to see you there.
00:32:10.500 | That's so good. I feel like you,
00:32:12.900 | you may or may not realize the nuggets that you're dropping to the next generation, but let me just let you know,
00:32:19.940 | these are things that the moms who are coming behind you need to hear. Um, because, because we live in a
00:32:28.100 | Pinterest generation and we live in a social media generation. And so what we think we see of other
00:32:34.420 | people's homes isn't how their homes look, but that's our perception. So we're thinking, okay, what's wrong with
00:32:41.460 | me? Why is my house always a mess? You know, why can we not get it together? What's wrong with our
00:32:48.420 | routines? All of these false narratives that are being perpetuated by what we see. Like, and the truth
00:32:54.500 | is it's a picture. It's a real picture. Half of them now with AI, you know, are real pictures. So we're not
00:33:01.620 | basing it off of nothing, but it's still just a false expectation. And what you made me think of,
00:33:08.100 | I'll never forget hearing a dad say, he was talking about his lawn and you know,
00:33:12.900 | men tend to be very, um, attached to their lawn. And he said that he had to kind of let that go for
00:33:20.500 | a while because he said, look, I can either raise grass or I can raise my boys. And right now I'm raising
00:33:27.780 | boys and later I'll raise this grass. Yes. And that's kind of, I mean, obviously restoring order
00:33:34.660 | and being respectful and having a routine and a plan has its place in this conversation,
00:33:41.780 | but knowing what's more valuable, um, is the key. And that's what I'm hearing from you. So I just,
00:33:49.220 | I love what you shared and I'm just telling you, that's what we need to hear because you would be
00:33:54.100 | surprised. I've spoken to many parents with all age children who said, I'm quoting them exactly what I
00:34:00.660 | just said. Um, so you know, what are some unconventional ways to, to integrate science
00:34:08.180 | into our, our daily rhythms? How can we make this not an extra thing?
00:34:14.420 | Oh yeah. Uh, well, I think part of it is asking the Lord to open your eyes, your own eyes, you know,
00:34:20.980 | just attending to things and, and just asking questions out loud and, um, and then being grateful, like,
00:34:28.740 | okay, for example, um, you might say, you know, it's funny that, uh, you know, if you're mixing your
00:34:35.620 | iced tea, this sugar never just, have you noticed that sugar doesn't dissolve here, but
00:34:40.420 | when I have my hot tea, it's fine. I wonder why that's the truth. And why is it that my nose gets
00:34:46.340 | itchy when I go outside or how does, how does soap work? Do you know how soap works? I don't know how
00:34:53.540 | soap works. You know, just getting them like, did you notice that ice, when you put in a glass of water,
00:34:59.540 | water, it floats. Now that's funny because most things you put in water sink. I wonder why that's
00:35:04.740 | true, you know, or have you tried, try to drink out of a straw and now let's put a hole in it,
00:35:12.820 | or is it this? I think just breath, just at breakfast, there's like a million things that are going on
00:35:22.500 | in a very scientific way. Yeah. And, um, that we just do like, why does toast turn brown?
00:35:30.980 | Do you know why toast turns brown? I think just having questions about things and being,
00:35:38.500 | and asking the Lord to really ignite your own curiosity about the world and just ask questions.
00:35:44.100 | You don't have to know the answers and you don't even have to, please don't spend hours finding.
00:35:48.820 | Yeah. Well, let's try it out or ask your kids, listen for them. And, and if, when they notice
00:35:59.940 | something go, you know, what do you notice and listen for them? Like mom, why, you know,
00:36:07.540 | why does this work or how does this work? Um, we always had, you know, people, kids that tinkered,
00:36:15.700 | like giving them opportunities to just roll a ball around the house or make a ramp or, and just,
00:36:23.460 | I think for me, it was noticing the natural world that was around me, whether it was in my kitchen
00:36:29.380 | or at my back door, it didn't matter because there are wonders everywhere. And there, and there are
00:36:35.220 | questions that I don't know the answer to that are fairly complicated. Like why I floats is a very
00:36:42.180 | complicated. It took people a long time to figure that out. And so I think just even showing your
00:36:49.780 | children that it it's science. I just keep thinking science, but the world is accessible to you.
00:36:57.620 | And the world is an invitation by God to you to ask questions. And some of your children are good
00:37:06.020 | question askers. They're going to always, you know, you have that one, but why, but why, but why?
00:37:10.660 | And some are just going to be more introspective, but you can be a good question asker and, and notice.
00:37:17.540 | And, uh, you don't, that's not a lab. Breakfast isn't a lab, but it can be a lab. So I just
00:37:24.180 | noticing and integrating, you know, um, and then just saying, Hey, let's, let's look at that. I'm
00:37:31.140 | curious. What are you curious about? I think part of the things that excited me is that I think, well,
00:37:37.220 | gee, I don't know. I think it's kind of cool that, um, that the tea bag turns the whole thing
00:37:45.060 | brown. How does that work? You know, how fast can it go? Does the water have to be super hot
00:37:50.980 | or can it be cold or why does it change? I just, you know, kind of shoving the kids aside and say,
00:37:57.380 | no, let me figure it out. No, let me see. Let me see. Give me one. You have yours and I'll do this.
00:38:03.060 | Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. And you're making me think of my sister-in-law. I'm the third of four
00:38:12.980 | children. So I have a lot of, you know, people who've gone before me who are still in close
00:38:17.460 | proximity to me. And my sister-in-law would always tell me, Oh, it's just baby science whenever the
00:38:23.300 | kids are doing things. And I loved that phrase because I never, I never had, had anyone describe
00:38:30.820 | to me the things that an infant does as science, but it is. And if you're watching them and you're
00:38:38.740 | paying attention to the way that they're exploring, sometimes that kid dropping the thing on the floor
00:38:43.780 | over and over and over again has absolutely nothing to do with them teasing you, or that's part of the
00:38:49.060 | science experience. They're testing something. They're trying to figure out what velocity, you know, like
00:38:56.420 | which one is flying down faster and why. And when they're, they seem to be making a mess and they spread
00:39:02.740 | something out all over the floor. They want to know how far does it go? They have a question.
00:39:08.660 | And even when your children are small and they can't necessarily articulate the question, I think
00:39:14.500 | it's easy for us, um, who are not necessarily still in that mindset to assume, Oh, well, you're just
00:39:21.460 | making a mess or you're just, you know, being foolish or, but maybe they're being curious. And if you can get
00:39:28.260 | down on their level and slow down and figure out why, well, why your, your turn to ask why, you know,
00:39:33.700 | why did you do that thing? What were you trying to figure out? The kid who's throwing things in the
00:39:37.940 | toilet isn't just throwing stuff in the toilet. They're trying to figure out what's down there
00:39:42.820 | and how does it work? And what's it connected to? And does it ever stop? And why does the water keep
00:39:47.700 | coming? And, you know, they've got questions. Exactly. So, I mean, obviously you want to help
00:39:54.580 | direct it to a productive place, but, but I love that you're saying it's really just as simple as
00:40:01.220 | slowing down and, and being curious. Um, and you can do that anywhere at any time and, and you never know
00:40:09.940 | where it's going to take you because the answers are complex. Yes. So, and it's not stagnant. You're not
00:40:15.780 | going to say, okay, today we're going to learn about the properties of water. Right. Um, your child
00:40:21.940 | has already been learning about the properties of water when they have spilled something, when they
00:40:26.740 | drink something, when they watch it come from the faucet, when they see you cooking with the stove,
00:40:33.300 | when you water your plants, when you, so they, they are assimilating. And if, if it makes you feel any
00:40:41.060 | better, um, they are assimilating in their mind, a library of this is what the world is about.
00:40:49.860 | And so they're categorized. They're constantly, uh, if you watch a child, a toddler, um, sometimes we
00:40:58.740 | think it's kind of cute and silly, but they'll do the same thing over and over again. And that's,
00:41:05.060 | but that's what, you know, scientists and Johns Hopkins are doing. They do this same experiment
00:41:12.020 | over and over because they're looking for, um, they're looking for that cause and effect.
00:41:17.460 | Does it always happen this way? Does the cheerio always drop on the floor? Just, uh, our, our,
00:41:24.020 | one of our children in a high chair would drop a cheerio and our dog would just learn to sleep
00:41:29.540 | under his high chair because he loved that, but there was this nice little cause and effect that he was
00:41:35.620 | figuring out or even watching you. Like when mommy opens the refrigerator, I get something good to drink
00:41:43.220 | or the ice maker. You know, like I have one of my grandchildren is fascinated right now by our ice maker.
00:41:50.580 | So when he comes, we have lots of ice all over the place because he loves watching the ice come out of
00:41:58.820 | the ice maker. Now it's, it's because he's curious and he wants to learn something about that. Now, when you're 12,
00:42:06.260 | you don't do that anymore, but when you're little, you do. And I think we do need to take some of our cues
00:42:11.940 | from our youngest because I think they're, they haven't learned what is right and what is the
00:42:18.900 | right way to explore and the wrong way to explore. They just, they're just, they're just driven by
00:42:23.940 | their appetite. And I would even flip it too and say, you're, you're right that a toddler does it that
00:42:30.660 | way. And a 12 year old does it differently. But something that a 12 year old boy often does is bug
00:42:35.780 | his sister. He's doing social science, you know, like he's still doing science. He's still
00:42:42.260 | leaving things. He's testing you, you know, he's still getting up and not making his bed every day
00:42:48.340 | because he wants to know where is the limit? What do you mean? You know, when you say a consequence,
00:42:54.820 | you know, that's just a different type of science, but they're still trying to figure out how does the
00:43:01.940 | world work when your parents say, you know, bad company corrupts good character? Well, what does
00:43:06.980 | that mean? You know, like what kind and how much time with that bad company? It's science. Everyone's
00:43:14.820 | trying to figure it out. And, and that, yeah, that's a good point. They, they shift because then they learn
00:43:21.220 | the science of soccer or they learn the science of ballet and, um, you don't see it, but they're
00:43:27.380 | constantly, um, engaging with your, that passion and interest draws them along. So they're constantly
00:43:36.500 | trying it out. And that's where I think as a parent to be a good observer of your children,
00:43:42.100 | um, you can be that, that student. So it's nice.
00:43:45.940 | Yes. That's great. So I bet you, there are lots of people listening who are like, okay,
00:43:50.100 | I love that. You guys are curious. Um, did you have a list of ideas for me?
00:43:54.020 | So maybe we can give them some really good places to start before we close this conversation. What
00:44:03.460 | are maybe your top five science exploration activity ideas? Yeah, this is, uh, for the outside,
00:44:10.820 | uh, first of all, I like a structure. It really helps me. So I would say that one of the things
00:44:18.020 | that we did is that we just followed the days of creation. So one day we looked at, we experimented
00:44:23.060 | with light. We found, we did a light inventory, like, look, and this is for little guys. They love this.
00:44:28.580 | Look at all, uh, find all the ways that light happens in your house, uh, live an evening without light.
00:44:35.540 | Now it's a little trickier in the summer because it goes late, but see if you can go without light,
00:44:41.300 | uh, use candles, um, look at, compare, um, how, um, the light of a candle is different from the light
00:44:48.900 | of a flashlight. Look at different kinds of light, like ultraviolet light and infrared light, you know,
00:44:53.780 | So each day you could pick or each week, you could pick something that you can like,
00:44:59.780 | we're going to focus our attention on this. I think sometimes what we can get overwhelmed with is,
00:45:06.020 | you know, we go on the internet, we go to science activities for kids, and there's, uh, probably there
00:45:11.220 | are hundreds of thousands. Now they're like videos and this and this, and I think it helps me to narrow.
00:45:17.620 | So I would say either pick, um, like you could go through the days of creation or pick one thing
00:45:24.260 | that's really accessible to you, like water. You can do a thousand things with water. It's cheap.
00:45:30.260 | It's right there in your home. And you probably have about a hundred experiments without even leaving
00:45:39.060 | the house. So I would just say that like a theme or a topic, and then this is where you're, um,
00:45:47.940 | get your catalog. If you have a CC catalog and look at those, um, core habits and look at those common
00:45:54.740 | topics, especially comparison and definition and go, okay, put them up somewhere where you can see
00:46:00.420 | and go, we're going to just attend. Like one of my favorite things to do outside is,
00:46:06.580 | and that's might be okay with this. So, so just, just put a little square, choose a square
00:46:13.700 | place outside and just put some little, you know, like string up around it and don't do anything to it.
00:46:20.340 | Just observe it and don't cut the grass, don't do it. And just, okay, count how many different kinds of
00:46:28.660 | grasses collect, like the little tiny flowers, look for, have them go, okay, try to discover it.
00:46:36.500 | Are there any critters in here? There's usually some kind of beetle, some kind of bug, some kind of fly,
00:46:42.100 | really help them attend to certain area, like help them close that off, uh, cover half of it with a
00:46:49.220 | cardboard and not to let the sun go and then compare it two weeks later, see what happens.
00:46:55.780 | So, um, or, or go and look at like, we're going to study this tree this summer, or we're going to plant
00:47:03.540 | these plants. It is so easy to do. I was thinking, okay, you can get a sponge, like a sponge and you can
00:47:11.060 | put like, um, I, these are broccoli seeds or alfalfa seeds or radish seeds on them. And you can just watch
00:47:18.100 | them grow in your house. So you don't have to be outside. If you don't want to be outside, you can be,
00:47:22.820 | you can grow things inside, you can do with seeds. And I would, so let's see. So I would say, first of all,
00:47:29.780 | pick some kind of theme or some kind of focus and go, okay. And then come up in your mind, gather some supplies
00:47:37.540 | that you can have either something you can lead through like an experiment, like, okay,
00:47:44.180 | I'm going to show you how to do this, make a bubble mixture and then have another thing that they can do.
00:47:50.660 | For example, kids love to pour water. So just buy some, uh, don't do anything really deep because
00:47:58.740 | that's not safe, but like a shallow pool, or if you have a dishpan and stick it in the floor of the
00:48:05.980 | kitchen with a towel and just say, okay, I'm one of the, one of the things that I do with my grandchildren,
00:48:12.080 | my kids had braces. I had a ton of that, like, um, you know, those denture cleansers that you would, you know,
00:48:20.160 | use yourself. I just got a big box of that and gave it to them. And they were there for like an hour and a half,
00:48:24.940 | like, Oh, let's put this in. Let's try this. Let's do this. And so giving them things they can do and explore on
00:48:33.060 | their own and making that available and then choosing a one or two things that you want to say,
00:48:39.920 | Hey, let's, let's look at, like, I want to look at how water is, um, is a solvent. What dissolves in
00:48:47.820 | water? What doesn't dissolve in water? What floats? What doesn't float? Just the, just those basic questions
00:48:53.060 | and then give it to them and let them, uh, experiment experiment. And then what I would do
00:48:59.060 | is make some kind of list, like stick a thing up on the wall. Like if you're doing water, but water,
00:49:07.060 | word water, what do we, what do we know? And what did we find out? And just like, I'm not saying anything
00:49:14.020 | fancy, don't buy any pens, just write it down, you know, just jot it down. And then at the end of the
00:49:20.640 | week, if you did it for a week, go back and look and ask, what was your favorite thing? And, or what did
00:49:26.600 | you recognize? Make like, even making my grandchildren had never eaten Jell-O. Um, so we made Jell-O,
00:49:34.480 | but then we, it's a science because you have hot water to activate the gelatin and, and then it,
00:49:40.960 | and then it kind of, you know, becomes more solid and like, yeah, for them that was magic. So,
00:49:47.240 | so think of some things like, um, a theme like water and then choose things that they can do set aside.
00:49:55.620 | I want you to hear some stuff, try it, tell me what you think, and then choose one or two activities
00:50:01.120 | that you think, okay, I'm going to try this. For example, if you had two straws and you put,
00:50:06.180 | have them sip water with using one straw and then have them sip water, put a straw on the outside of
00:50:12.840 | the cup and a straw on the inside of the cup and then drink water. Well, they can't because water it.
00:50:17.820 | So those little things are really super easy to do along with like making Play-Doh and go,
00:50:24.000 | how did that work? Or use like cornstarch and water. It makes this new, it's so fascinating.
00:50:31.100 | Yeah. And be prepared because they'll want to do it more than one time.
00:50:36.500 | Uh-huh. And it's okay. Let them do a thousand times. It's fine. Just buy more cornstarch. It's
00:50:41.780 | really not that bad. So I would just say, uh, pick either a topic like that, like go outside and
00:50:48.420 | choose an area that you're going to investigate fully. And then you can keep track of it, or you
00:50:55.340 | can do something inside, like choose a topic, like we're going to explore water and here's
00:51:00.000 | some ideas that we're going to do, or we're going to explore light, or we're going to look
00:51:05.320 | at critters. You know, um, I, we did, I, oh goodness, we had so many critters, but you don't
00:51:12.660 | have to do that, but you can have, um, if you just go and get some crickets from, you can
00:51:19.700 | have a little cricket container and, and watch them not forever. Um, because sometimes they
00:51:25.340 | get like, well, um, but it's fun to see. And I think that that's the thing. Uh, another thing
00:51:31.820 | that you can do is take just some clear contact paper and go and get harvest, um, samples of just
00:51:40.900 | weeds, different weeds and make us, it's like a giant slide basically. So put them on, cover
00:51:47.980 | it with clear contact paper, and then use your magnifying glass to like, look at the different
00:51:53.100 | ways and cut out each one, uh, and have them categorize it. Is this green? Another thing that
00:52:00.580 | I do, and okay, I'm giving you too many things, but you go to, uh, Lowe's or someplace, you know
00:52:06.420 | how they have these free samples? Uh-huh. Yeah. So what you do is go get a bunch of green
00:52:13.020 | samples, just have your kids just, you know, and they're okay if you don't get hundreds
00:52:17.060 | of them. And then go out and cut them in little strips and go out and see if you can match the
00:52:24.420 | greens outside. And then bring it inside and do some painting or coloring. If you have an art
00:52:31.000 | person, you bring in some samples and go, okay, I want you to try to match the green of this dandelion
00:52:38.080 | leaf with a green and then try to match them. And what that helps kids see is that, wow, what it helps
00:52:47.220 | me see is like, wow, God is so in what an artist. Yeah. What an artist. He has just in this little
00:52:56.840 | square, he has put this color green, this color green, this color green, this color green. And,
00:53:02.140 | and I can't match it. I can't do that. Only God can do that. And so that's where it brings you
00:53:09.240 | naturally to wonder. And that brings you to real thankfulness and worship because that God is going
00:53:16.340 | to take a, this is what impresses me is that that's the same God that says, you know, are you worried?
00:53:23.320 | What does he tell you to do? He says, go look at the flowers and go look at the birds. That's a very
00:53:30.340 | unusual answer, right? But the reason is, is he knows that once we do that, once we see his world,
00:53:38.140 | we are so reassured, like, well, if God can make 50 kinds of green,
00:53:42.940 | then he can take care of me. And I, and I think ultimately that does lead me, it always reassures
00:53:52.160 | me like, okay, I can relax. If he can do that, I think he can handle what I'm worried about today.
00:53:58.320 | So I think it just helps you. And so those are just some ideas. There are tons of things. And I would
00:54:07.120 | also, one of the things I would try, I tried to do at the beginning of summer is just put in some kind
00:54:13.160 | of box, like science-y stuff. And that way it's in one place. I'm not going, you know, hither and
00:54:21.360 | yon to do that. So anyway, that would be, and there's, there's just, I mean, I've got a table full
00:54:27.280 | jello and orange arch and baking soda and, and sponges and yeah, containers, freeze a bunch of
00:54:35.980 | water and let them, let them melt. Like, yeah, I would love that. Just get containers and try to melt
00:54:46.360 | get his little, put little things in it, little Legos or something in there and try to race with
00:54:53.000 | dad. It's out fastest. Yep. It's just so fun. So fun.
00:54:58.520 | You are really, you're really making me want to, to be a scientist. Not that I'm not a scientist in
00:55:07.300 | self-regard. We all are, but to lean into it more and you're just such a wealth of information. And
00:55:13.180 | you're reminding me actually that I, it's the label that has thrown me off over the years
00:55:20.120 | because I loved this. So many of the things that you mentioned, I'm like, I have a,
00:55:24.920 | cause you all know listening that I was homeschooled through high school. So I have a memory attached to
00:55:30.760 | a lot of the different experiences that you just described. When you use the corn, starch and water,
00:55:35.740 | I'm like, that's the best. And it's true that I think it's the best because we called it OOBLEC.
00:55:41.440 | We did it with the book, um, that Dr. Seuss book. And I remember that was actually the experiment
00:55:46.480 | that my aunt did with us. She was a teacher when my brother was born at the hospital. That's when it
00:55:53.020 | was introduced to us, but we did it from that point forward and we put some green dye in it to make it
00:55:57.640 | look like a book. But, but you're so correct that there are so many accessible ways for us to just go
00:56:05.040 | deep on one topic. You don't have to feel that you need to explore everything. Um, I'm going to try to
00:56:12.080 | package some of that list so that people can refer to it, um, over on our social media channels,
00:56:18.380 | just so that, so that people can go back to it because you, you really did give us so many great
00:56:23.020 | ideas and I know you have a million more. So we'll have to talk about this again.
00:56:26.800 | There are tons, uh, and, and they're just repeats of all the things that, like you said,
00:56:31.920 | that have hold good memories, but yeah, it was that it was just fun to,
00:56:36.420 | to resurrect some of those ideas. It's great. It's so great. Well, thank you for talking with
00:56:42.580 | us today and listeners. Thank you for, for coming along on this ride with us. I hope that you enjoyed
00:56:50.200 | it. I know that you enjoyed Amy. Um, she's such a blessing and your, your, your appreciation for life
00:56:58.800 | and those details. Um, those things are, are contagious about you. And I, it's just such a gift
00:57:04.940 | that the Lord has given us in the body of Christ. And so I'm really encouraged by this conversation
00:57:10.220 | and I pray that it encourages you to, if you know a mom who maybe thinks, oh my goodness, everything's
00:57:15.860 | such a mess to be inspired. She loves science, but she needs more ideas. Would you send this episode to
00:57:22.180 | them, um, and go let us know what you thought in a comment on social media or in a review? Um, because
00:57:29.940 | your feedback really is valuable to us and we want to make sure that we're making content that encourages
00:57:34.940 | you. So thanks again for listening and we will see you again next week.
00:57:39.260 | you. So thanks again for listening.