Well, hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of The Everyday Educator. I am so excited. I was literally just saying to Amy Jones, who's here with me today, that I'm so excited about this conversation because I think it's really going to stretch me. And I'm hopeful that as you hear and feel me stretch into the topic of science, that that encourages you today.

So I just want to remind you before we get started, if you're not a part of a Classical Conversations community, that really is the best place for you to go to learn more about how to homeschool, to learn more about what it's like to classically Christian educate your child.

And so we want to encourage you to definitely find that in-person community. And you can find that online at classicalconversations.com. But without any further ado, I've got Amy Jones in the house. Amy, hi. Hi. It's good to be here. And this is my favorite topic. So thanks for inviting me.

This is going to be so fun. I know you're probably not new to say 85% of our listeners, because we have you on here a lot. But just in case they don't know who you are, what you do, will you just introduce yourself to everyone? Oh, sure. My name is Amy Jones.

I live here in Tennessee with my husband. And we have four children. And I call them three bonus children. Three of my children are married. And we have just, they have lovely families. And we have nine, soon to be 10 grandchildren. So they keep us busy. And fortunately, they're within an hour or so of our house.

So we get to pester them as much as we want. It's really fun. And we homeschooled our kids. The very beginning, when my oldest was, I think when they're born, you start homeschooling, don't you? And then all the way through my, our youngest son just graduated from, oh goodness, college a couple of years ago.

And he's just finished his first year of med school. So hooray for him. Many prayers, many prayers. So we were just delighted to be able to have the privilege of homeschooling and just being with each other, the ups and downs, you know, the bumps and bruises, but just lots of laughter.

And, and what I was reflecting on today was that we, um, we still have those conversations. Hmm. You know, the ones that you had around the table that your mom brought you together and you talked about, we still have those conversations. So it doesn't end. So yeah. Well, that's encouraging to hear because, you know, I think sometimes parents do worry and you never know how your life is going to turn out, but we worry that we're going to invest so much on the front end.

And then our children are just going to want to run out that door. You know, we let them go and they don't want to come back. But the fact that you've cultivated a community within your family, where you have good conversations, it's just beautiful because of course they would long for that.

So they do come back. Um, and I love that they live so close to you so you can go to them. Well, today, as I said earlier, we're going to talk all about science specifically during the summer. you can, of course, apply the ideas that we talk all year long, but, um, the ideas that we discuss all year long.

But right now we want to talk about what it looks like to lean into science activities, scientific exploration with your children during the summertime. And I'd love for you to just take us on a trip down memory lane, Amy and tell us maybe what, what did that look like for you and your family when your kids were growing up?

Oh, that's such a good question. Um, yeah, I think every season and, uh, the season from spring to summer is always the most dramatic for kids because usually if you're not homeschooling year round, that's like, we're free, you know, and mom's like, we're free, I'm free. So that transition to summer was always much anticipated and there were countdowns and all sorts of things that our children did.

So, um, it was, uh, summer is a nice season for us. We live in Tennessee so we can play outside. And that was really the focus. Summer is more relaxed. It's a more relaxed time. It's, and I would just encourage parents, especially to take that time to relax. Um, sometimes I would, as the children get older, I would say, Oh, we're going to finish up whatever, like math or that, or that stack of books we didn't get through.

I would really encourage moms not to do that. Um, because we all need kind of a, a hard stop in places and we need a good start in places. And I felt like when I tried to kind of weasel in those extra lessons that it just felt kind of deflating instead of we need to rejuvenate, we need to reflect and be revitalized.

And there's no better place to do that than in God's creation. And so I had really active three active sons and a very active daughter. So we spent time outside, um, and, uh, on walks or going to the pool or even when it gets really hot, the library, just really taking some time to, um, explore some of those areas that we didn't get to do during what we call the school year.

So I would really encourage, um, a mom to a, not feel guilty to really reflect on all that God has done in their school year, and then make that transition to a restful summer. Um, so I think in both you and your husband, I think that's a really great conversation to have, you know, like go out to dinner and just reflect on all that God has done.

Don't make plans, you know, that's not a business meeting, um, but just reflect and then delight in, um, okay, I have this time. And you might also just, I, it was helpful for me to go, we stop at this date date and we start at this date. So I could tell, okay, here's the free space.

I had one child that always wanted to know, when do we have to go back and go, well, it's not tomorrow. So, so I would just definitely encourage you to enjoy this change of season and, uh, and rest and reflect. So celebrate. That's, yeah, that's such great advice. I think more and more I've heard people talk about what they call the summer slide.

We just did another episode on reading with Kelly Wilt and she was talking about the summer slide. I'm like, see, I'm hearing it everywhere. Everybody is concerned about this idea of their children forgetting everything during the summertime. And while, yeah, you want to keep your kids learning and that's important.

I do think you just hit on such, such a kingdom principle of rhythms of rest and work. And it, I think we just need to be aware as believers that that is a place that maybe the enemy is trying to steal from us and, and sort of make us think that we have to, we have to work first to get our rest when actually the pattern of the entire universe, like from creation on is he rested and then he worked.

And so he has us starting, starting from that posture. And really that's a way that we show our reliance on him and our trust in him. And what you just said, we're able to reflect and rejoice and celebrate all that God has done and to realize that, you know, of course we're trying to be diligent and faithful and there's a place for that.

Um, but also the harvest comes from the one who sits on the throne. So I really love that you brought that into the conversation from the onset, because I think it's important for us to remember, regardless of what we're trying to encourage our families to learn or glean, that we can do that 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 areas of our life, but when it comes to education, we just feel like. We just feel the right of it. Yeah, it feels huge. As, as my children got older, I feel like it was really important now that they're, they're married and have their own children, um, that it's really important as a mom that you're modeling that faith of rest.

I think it's an act of faith and that God is going to take care of us. And instead I thought, I just didn't want to inflict my anxiety on them. And then they feel sort of trapped like, oh, mom's not happy instead of just giving them the gift of rest and giving them that permission.

I mean, do you, I remember I had a grandmother and I would work close near, near home and have lunch with her. And she would say, now you just go lay down on that bed and take a little nap. And I thought it was funny because I was in high school.

I didn't really need a nap, but what she gave me was permission to rest. You need to rest. And I think we need to give ourselves permission, but I think it's really important to model for your children. You can rest. And because they're going to have children, hopefully one day, and you don't want them to be feeling like this loaded burden of we've got to always be producing something that that's not true.

Yeah. The enemy wants to steal that from us. Yes. It's not true. And just as you say that you're making me think of this quote, you know, Lisa Bailey, the other host of this show. And she sent me this quote in the light of our conversation that I think just encapsulates what you said perfectly.

This is by Mr. Fred Rogers. He says, "It seems to me that some of us value information over wonder and noise over silence. And I feel that we need a lot more wonder and a lot more silence in our lives." That's nice. And when we're thinking about science, it's true that some of the greatest discoveries come from those places of rest, from those places of silence and wonder and sitting back and observing.

So as we dive into this conversation, the first thing I would love to hear you define is just, what is science? This conversation could go so many different directions from your perspective. What does it look like? What is science? How would you describe that? Well, the word science means knowledge, but it's much more than that.

First of all, God created science. He's the originator of all this. All that we know, both visible and invisible, was in the mind of God from the beginning. And as he made creation, spoke these words that brought light and brought dry land and plants and animals. It's so incredible.

And he was thinking in his mind as he is hiding treasures that we are going to find. That's science. It's engaging with the natural world that God has made, whether it's a physics world or a biology world or a botany world. It doesn't matter. We, we make those distinctions.

Um, but all of that is our invitations for understanding him. And that's what his, his purpose is, is that we're going to understand his nature and his power. And so looking for God in his creation is, is really the, is science that is the study of God's creation. Um, and to realize that he's the originator and what we know about him, since we know how wonderful he is and creative and subtle and humorous, since we know that all about him, then the, then everything we discover gives us another insight into his nature.

So I just think it's, I, I used to, I don't, you know, we categorize science in, in schools, you know, you do science and you do math, but I think that again, that's a false, um, a false category. I think, um, we live and breathe in this world and that's where science is.

So, so it's just recognizing that it's just looking around and going, Oh, and asking, huh, I wonder. Uh huh. Uh huh. I couldn't agree with you more. Yeah. And it, you know, it's so funny because I came into this particular conversation thinking and, you know, preparing for it thinking, okay, let's talk about plants and animals and nature walks.

And, you know, and just to be transparent with everyone, I was a child who was a little bit resistant and I'm not sure why we could dig into that, but we won't right now. I was a little bit resistant to what people typically called quote science. I just didn't science and math.

Those are two areas where I just felt, you know, I don't know if I care. I don't know if I'm interested and I certainly don't like the way you're presenting it, you know, so let's move on type thing. And so, um, while I was preparing for this conversation, it was easy for me to assume that I fully understood all the ways that you could scientifically explore.

Cause I have a college degree and I've done chemistry and I've done, you know, all of these different things. And then I thought to myself, well, you know what, I think I do science all the time in my garden when I cook dinner and when I, when I study my child, you know, I'm so fascinated by neurological development and I absolutely love thinking about the way that people interact and how, what portions of that are, are actually attached to their biology and what portions of that are shifting because of where they are like that nurture nature conversation.

But there's a lot to that or psychology, like that's a type of science. I really love that. And so I, I want to encourage our listeners to think outside the box. I mean, yes, we want you to go outside. There's a lot to that. Um, and we're going to talk about some things you can do outside.

Also, if you have a child who maybe has an unconventional love of science, encourage that too, because yeah, they could find that in, in a place that you wouldn't expect. Um, and, and that too reveals back to what you were just saying, God's nature and his power. That's why I love learning about the brain so much.

I think God is brilliant. He is brilliant. And the fact that he planted so many of these things that, that some people discovered and some people never do in the body, it blows my mind. You can hear I'm speechless. So that's where we end up. And, and you're exactly right, Delisa.

Sometimes, um, other science, you know, when we think of, oh, like botany or maybe chemistry, we should start going into chemistry. And it's really, you just think of it as like, you just moved into a new country. You're just learning a new language, like chemistry. The reason that I think we get put off by different science subjects is we haven't learned that language.

And, and no one taught us that, you know what, this is just unfamiliar to you. You just don't know it yet. And actually, you know, a lot more than you think, you know, you know, because if you've ever dissolved, you know, made a cup of tea, you you've done some physical science.

If you've ever like, you know, scrubbed your bathtub with, with comet, you've, you've done some chemistry, you know, you, you are already familiar. There's no, there is no area of science that you as a human being have not experienced. And when you drink out of a straw, you've just made physics because you've lowered the pressure, you know, it's, you just don't know what it is.

And so I think that I think it's unfortunate that science in our, in our public school or modern education disconnects us from the, from the world. We are in labs or on the, in the classroom and we're reading books. So we don't see that integration of, in our natural life with the subject.

And that's true. And I think with people who love like are drawn to literature or, um, or words, it's because we're so much more familiar with words. We use language all the time. So it's a familiar world. So yeah, I think it, it does. Um, once you're sort of past that, but I'll tell you that your children don't know that they've never been to high school.

Your children don't know that. So they just think the world is like like a playground of science. They don't have any categories. So you are the one that will change. So they think it's delightful and you'll go, well, I never thought about that, you know? So it's, it's nice.

It's nice. It's so, that's so true. And I think the caution or the encouragement for me and for us as, as parents is for us to not squash it, you know, just like stand back and don't squash it. If you're not excited, that's fine. Let them be excited about the bug.

Let them want to take their time to ask more questions about the thing. Don't, don't project your own feelings, you know, or maybe past experiences on them, because it's true that I landed on that perspective because of my experiences, but he has experiences and I want them to be positive ones.

And so, um, in the, and at the end of the day, we are all trying to get the same place, which is to know God and to make him known. So science is an area where I want him to feel that he's done that. What makes the summer, Amy, just so uniquely ripe for scientific exploration?

Oh, well, things are growing all over the place. So we are looking, life is around us and it's the dormant winter has passed. Um, days are longer. The sun is in the sky. We get to go outside. The skies are beautiful in the evening. There are meteorite showers in August.

So you can go and hope to find one, or if you don't, it was fun to try. Um, there are all sorts of activities that are going on in the summer, like at national parks or in your, um, in your community that invites you to be outside. Um, so I would say that I, I say outside because it just lends itself.

Now I would say you should be outside all the year round, but because the, of the climate and because of that relaxed feel that we have in the summer, it's inviting for that reason. Also, you can, um, do a lot of science that you may not have been able to do in outside during the winter.

You can, I like, especially like with growing things and looking at critters and watching birds. There's just so much life going on outside. So that's what makes science a lot of fun in, in the summertime. And also, uh, honestly, if you are a little more relaxed with your summer schedule, which I really hope you are, that you can start doing some things, bringing nature inside and giving time to observe and reflect.

So allowing, like you were saying that quiet or restful time, you're usually, um, our summers weren't just chock full of like, you know, soccer practice and piano and all that kind of thing, uh, that we had a little more flexibility. So not to fill up their days with activity, but, but to really utilize some of that downtime to go, okay, we're going to, and just think of something that you maybe recognize.

Like, is there something that they kind of were stirred in their heart? Like we had one of my children really got into bonsai trees. Now I'm not sure why. Um, so we didn't have any bonsai trees growing around. It takes like 30 years to have a very long time, but we had a ton of these little tiny, um, plant things of, of evergreen bushes that look like bonsai trees.

So we dug up all sorts of things and brought them in the house and we planted them. And so look for adventures and listen for what your child, uh, for what that brings about that curiosity. You know, um, also, if you think about, like, if you're around any of the water, like ponds or lakes or rivers, um, those are great.

It's a great time to go explore along the shore and put, you know, um, look under rotted, you know, wood and scrape off bark. Yeah. Be, um, I think just really, it's a great time to engage with the natural world because you have a little extra time and because, um, it's, it's, it's just inviting you.

Everything's green. I don't know about where you are, but everything here is green. So it's welcoming you into that world. So yeah, I would think definitely for summer, that's a, it's a great time to take advantage of that. Absolutely. It's a huge invitation. And you know, I'm, I'm in North Carolina as well, but I think about people who live in Arizona, there's something else inviting you there, you know, so wherever you are there, there is an invitation.

And the question is, are you coming? You know, like, are you answering the invitation? And I love that you said, look for adventures. That's such a beautiful way to, to think about it. And it is so full of wonder. And, you know, we say here a lot at classical conversations that the world life is a treasure hunt and it's because it is, there's actually something to be discovered.

It's not that we're out there wondering, hoping that we're going to stumble on something. God says that if we seek him, we'll find him when we search for him with all of our hearts. So there's that sense of assurance that we have, which is really encouraging when we look for him in the natural world or we look for him in our math or wherever, whatever we're saying, whatever we're doing to know that he wants to be found by us.

I think it's really, that's really beautiful. It's really cool to know. One of the things that is helpful is just spend some time in prayer for your family. Like what are some things that maybe they really stump struggled with this past year? You know, maybe there's an area that, um, didn't come as naturally and, um, or they didn't feel as invited to the table.

I think of it that way, um, to think, okay, what are some things Lord that, and he is so good about giving you, um, good ideas for your kids. What are some things that we could do this summer that really, um, ignite, um, ignite that curiosity again? And, um, and then just watch and wait, because I do think that, that all our kids is, you know, none of them are the same and they have their own unique pers, uh, perspective on the world.

And just, just be sure to be aware of that. Like there's some children are like little magnets. They're like drawn to different things. So just watch that and just, and, and really feed, um, use the summer as an opportunity to, to bolster, um, some confidence and some love and delight and, and uncover some passions that you didn't realize when in the midst 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, of course, to look and recognize, oh, here's, here's a little love and, and let's, let's feed that. So, and science to me is a natural place or the world is a natural place for that to happen.

So that's a great encouragement. Yeah. Our little guy right now is very into drawing. And even to the point where I was in the adult nonfiction picking up a book, I think I was on the cooking aisle or so I'm looking on one side and he's looking on the other side and he pulls out a book on drawing and it was drawing superheroes because he's that passionate about it that he just naturally grabs this one.

He says, can I please get this? And of course I can't tell you no, you know, but it's, it's true that there is that invitation to feed their curiosity and to encourage, to nurture their love of, of learning. Um, especially in the summertime when you have a little bit more margin.

I know some, some, some parents who were just having this conversation, um, a couple of weeks ago are hesitant to lean in to scientific exploration because of the mess. And a lot of parents will say, and we love and are thankful that community is a great place for you to go.

They will say, hey, we only do science and community because I don't want to do the dissections. I don't want to do X, Y, Z. Um, and it smells, you know, if you're going to order a dissection kit, we're going to definitely honor the fact that it's going to be a mess.

But how would you speak to a mom who really finds herself recoiling when she thinks about science because of the mess? Oh, oh, how would, well, I kind of lived on the proverb. Um, I think it's Proverbs 14, four, where it says where there's no oxen in the crib, it's clean, but much increase.

Oh, see, let me think if I can, if I can think about it. Much increase is by the strength of the ox. Okay. So basically that sounds really weird, but basically what that means, if you, uh, an empty, uh, stall is perfectly clean, it doesn't, doesn't get dirty at all.

But in order to have, um, something productive, in order to have something that brings about some kind of like an ox works hard and produces something from the hard work that you're going to have a messy stall. So you can have a super neat house. And really by this time, if you're homeschooling, you, you probably should be over that by now.

If you have any children in the house for a long period of time, um, that that's past your past that, but I would just say, um, a couple of things. First of all, I would just, um, section off an area of your home. That's a, that all you need is a table that you can get beat up on.

I would say 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 lip and usually you can find them at the dollar store, you know, something, a serving tray. And that's like your, that's like a place where you put your specimens.

So whenever you drag in from the outside, 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 a way, if it bothers you, you know, put it in another room, but make a space in your home that it's really okay.

And, and I think also allow for that exploration. I think part of what I struggle with is I would get this big elaborate, um, uh, experiment together and, you know, last like three minutes. And then, and then they would all, and they'd be kind of bored and they'd be like, okay, is that it?

You know? And you go like, oh, I spent like $500, not really, you know, I spent time and I wrote, you know, went to Amazon and I read a book and, and now it's like, you know, it's like making a really nice meal and they just kind of go, I don't like, you know, steak.

Um, so I would say, keep it really simple for yourself and allow them to take some initiative in that, you know, all of this is training. So if, if it gets really messy, well, now part of the deal is, uh, one of our rules in our home was you do not cause unnecessary work for others.

So, so when you're finished doing science, part of science being a good, uh, lab partner is cleaning it up is restoring order. So it doesn't have to be chaotic. So use things around your house. You don't have to get new stuff, put, um, create a space that it's okay, that you might have a little scientist that, that lingers on that, at that table, and then make sure that you practice the good habit of, of setting things up and putting things away.

And if you want, you want, I used to have just a cardboard boxes that things that had a label, stick it all in here. And, um, and so that's what I would just say and just give it a shot. You know, the, um, the messiness is nothing, but, but if you, if your goal is to have a clean house, I don't even know if homeschooling is for you.

It's just, you just can't. I'm a mom of three boys. Forget it. I just, you just give up. I mean, you just, well, I mean, you just have an, or I guess what I would say is there's an order to your home that's lovely and inviting, but then there is that, uh, clean, you know, you know what I mean?

That he kind of, if we, you know, things are out of order, uh, I, you know, something's off then that that's a little, that, that doesn't work very well. So, and also remember that my home is not my home. It's everyone. So it's, that's good. So. Hey everybody. We want to interrupt the show to let you know that national memory master and national commencement are moving to the classical conversations, family cruise in 2026.

That's right. This cruise isn't just about celebrating CC graduates and memory masters. It's about all CC families. You you can connect with CC leaders and families at all sages in their journey and turn education into a memorable family adventure. As you explore the Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean's freedom of the seas, Check out our landing page to find out more at classical conversations.com forward slash cruise dash 2026.

Let's get back to the show. We hope to see you there. That's so good. I feel like you, you may or may not realize the nuggets that you're dropping to the next generation, but let me just let you know, these are things that the moms who are coming behind you need to hear.

Um, because, because we live in a Pinterest generation and we live in a social media generation. And so what we think we see of other people's homes isn't how their homes look, but that's our perception. So we're thinking, okay, what's wrong with me? Why is my house always a mess?

You know, why can we not get it together? What's wrong with our routines? All of these false narratives that are being perpetuated by what we see. Like, and the truth 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 basing it off of nothing, but it's still just a false expectation.

And what you made me think of, I'll never forget hearing a dad say, he was talking about his lawn and you know, men tend to be very, um, attached to their lawn. And he said that he had to kind of let that go for a while because he said, look, I can either raise grass or I can raise my boys.

And right now I'm raising boys and later I'll raise this grass. Yes. And that's kind of, I mean, obviously restoring order and being respectful and having a routine and a plan has its place in this conversation, but knowing what's more valuable, um, is the key. And that's what I'm hearing from you.

So I just, I love what you shared and I'm just telling you, that's what we need to hear because you would be surprised. I've spoken to many parents with all age children who said, I'm quoting them exactly what I just said. Um, so you know, what are some unconventional ways to, to integrate science into our, our daily rhythms?

How can we make this not an extra thing? Oh yeah. Uh, well, I think part of it is asking the Lord to open your eyes, your own eyes, you know, just attending to things and, and just asking questions out loud and, um, and then being grateful, like, okay, for example, um, you might say, you know, it's funny that, uh, you know, if you're mixing your iced tea, this sugar never just, have you noticed that sugar doesn't dissolve here, but when I have my hot tea, it's fine.

I wonder why that's the truth. And why is it that my nose gets itchy when I go outside or how does, how does soap work? Do you know how soap works? I don't know how soap works. You know, just getting them like, did you notice that ice, when you put in a glass of water, water, it floats.

Now that's funny because most things you put in water sink. I wonder why that's true, you know, or have you tried, try to drink out of a straw and now let's put a hole in it, or is it this? I think just breath, just at breakfast, there's like a million things that are going on in a very scientific way.

Yeah. And, um, that we just do like, why does toast turn brown? Do you know why toast turns brown? I think just having questions about things and being, and asking the Lord to really ignite your own curiosity about the world and just ask questions. You don't have to know the answers and you don't even have to, please don't spend hours finding.

Yeah. Well, let's try it out or ask your kids, listen for them. And, and if, when they notice something go, you know, what do you notice and listen for them? Like mom, why, you know, why does this work or how does this work? Um, we always had, you know, people, kids that tinkered, like giving them opportunities to just roll a ball around the house or make a ramp or, and just, I think for me, it was noticing the natural world that was around me, whether it was in my kitchen or at my back door, it didn't matter because there are wonders everywhere.

And there, and there are questions that I don't know the answer to that are fairly complicated. Like why I floats is a very complicated. It took people a long time to figure that out. And so I think just even showing your children that it it's science. I just keep thinking science, but the world is accessible to you.

And the world is an invitation by God to you to ask questions. And some of your children are good question askers. They're going to always, you know, you have that one, but why, but why, but why? And some are just going to be more introspective, but you can be a good question asker and, and notice.

And, uh, you don't, that's not a lab. Breakfast isn't a lab, but it can be a lab. So I just noticing and integrating, you know, um, and then just saying, Hey, let's, let's look at that. I'm curious. What are you curious about? I think part of the things that excited me is that I think, well, gee, I don't know.

I think it's kind of cool that, um, that the tea bag turns the whole thing brown. How does that work? You know, how fast can it go? Does the water have to be super hot or can it be cold or why does it change? I just, you know, kind of shoving the kids aside and say, no, let me figure it out.

No, let me see. Let me see. Give me one. You have yours and I'll do this. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. And you're making me think of my sister-in-law. I'm the third of four children. So I have a lot of, you know, people who've gone before me who are still in close proximity to me.

And my sister-in-law would always tell me, Oh, it's just baby science whenever the kids are doing things. And I loved that phrase because I never, I never had, had anyone describe to me the things that an infant does as science, but it is. And if you're watching them and you're paying attention to the way that they're exploring, sometimes that kid dropping the thing on the floor over and over and over again has absolutely nothing to do with them teasing you, or that's part of the science experience.

They're testing something. They're trying to figure out what velocity, you know, like which one is flying down faster and why. And when they're, they seem to be making a mess and they spread something out all over the floor. They want to know how far does it go? They have a question.

And even when your children are small and they can't necessarily articulate the question, I think it's easy for us, um, who are not necessarily still in that mindset to assume, Oh, well, you're just making a mess or you're just, you know, being foolish or, but maybe they're being curious.

And if you can get down on their level and slow down and figure out why, well, why your, your turn to ask why, you know, why did you do that thing? What were you trying to figure out? The kid who's throwing things in the toilet isn't just throwing stuff in the toilet.

They're trying to figure out what's down there and how does it work? And what's it connected to? And does it ever stop? And why does the water keep coming? And, you know, they've got questions. Exactly. So, I mean, obviously you want to help direct it to a productive place, but, but I love that you're saying it's really just as simple as slowing down and, and being curious.

Um, and you can do that anywhere at any time and, and you never know where it's going to take you because the answers are complex. Yes. So, and it's not stagnant. You're not going to say, okay, today we're going to learn about the properties of water. Right. Um, your child has already been learning about the properties of water when they have spilled something, when they drink something, when they watch it come from the faucet, when they see you cooking with the stove, when you water your plants, when you, so they, they are assimilating.

And if, if it makes you feel any better, um, they are assimilating in their mind, a library of this is what the world is about. And so they're categorized. They're constantly, uh, if you watch a child, a toddler, um, sometimes we think it's kind of cute and silly, but they'll do the same thing over and over again.

And that's, but that's what, you know, scientists and Johns Hopkins are doing. They do this same experiment over and over because they're looking for, um, they're looking for that cause and effect. Does it always happen this way? Does the cheerio always drop on the floor? Just, uh, our, our, one of our children in a high chair would drop a cheerio and our dog would just learn to sleep under his high chair because he loved that, but there was this nice little cause and effect that he was figuring out or even watching you.

Like when mommy opens the refrigerator, I get something good to drink or the ice maker. You know, like I have one of my grandchildren is fascinated right now by our ice maker. So when he comes, we have lots of ice all over the place because he loves watching the ice come out of 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, 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 from our youngest because I think they're, they haven't learned what is right and what is the right way to explore and the wrong way to explore.

They just, they're just, they're just driven by their appetite. And I would even flip it too and say, you're, you're right that a toddler does it that way. And a 12 year old does it differently. But something that a 12 year old boy often does is bug his sister.

He's doing social science, you know, like he's still doing science. He's still leaving things. He's testing you, you know, he's still getting up and not making his bed every day because he wants to know where is the limit? What do you mean? You know, when you say a consequence, you know, that's just a different type of science, but they're still trying to figure out how does the world work when your parents say, you know, bad company corrupts good character?

Well, what does that mean? You know, like what kind and how much time with that bad company? It's science. Everyone's trying to figure it out. And, and that, yeah, that's a good point. They, they shift because then they learn the science of soccer or they learn the science of ballet and, um, you don't see it, but they're constantly, um, engaging with your, that passion and interest draws them along.

So they're constantly trying it out. And that's where I think as a parent to be a good observer of your children, um, you can be that, that student. So it's nice. Yes. That's great. So I bet you, there are lots of people listening who are like, okay, I love that.

You guys are curious. Um, did you have a list of ideas for me? So maybe we can give them some really good places to start before we close this conversation. What are maybe your top five science exploration activity ideas? Yeah, this is, uh, for the outside, uh, first of all, I like a structure.

It really helps me. So I would say that one of the things that we did is that we just followed the days of creation. So one day we looked at, we experimented with light. We found, we did a light inventory, like, look, and this is for little guys. They love this.

Look at all, uh, find all the ways that light happens in your house, uh, live an evening without light. Now it's a little trickier in the summer because it goes late, but see if you can go without light, uh, use candles, um, look at, compare, um, how, um, the light of a candle is different from the light of a flashlight.

Look at different kinds of light, like ultraviolet light and infrared light, you know, So each day you could pick or each week, you could pick something that you can like, we're going to focus our attention on this. I think sometimes what we can get overwhelmed with is, you know, we go on the internet, we go to science activities for kids, and there's, uh, probably there are hundreds of thousands.

Now they're like videos and this and this, and I think it helps me to narrow. So I would say either pick, um, like you could go through the days of creation or pick one thing that's really accessible to you, like water. You can do a thousand things with water.

It's cheap. It's right there in your home. And you probably have about a hundred experiments without even leaving the house. So I would just say that like a theme or a topic, and then this is where you're, um, get your catalog. If you have a CC catalog and look at those, um, core habits and look at those common topics, especially comparison and definition and go, okay, put them up somewhere where you can see and go, we're going to just attend.

Like one of my favorite things to do outside is, and that's might be okay with this. So, so just, just put a little square, choose a square place outside and just put some little, you know, like string up around it and don't do anything to it. Just observe it and don't cut the grass, don't do it.

And just, okay, count how many different kinds of grasses collect, like the little tiny flowers, look for, have them go, okay, try to discover it. Are there any critters in here? There's usually some kind of beetle, some kind of bug, some kind of fly, really help them attend to certain area, like help them close that off, uh, cover half of it with a cardboard and not to let the sun go and then compare it two weeks later, see what happens.

So, um, or, or go and look at like, we're going to study this tree this summer, or we're going to plant these plants. It is so easy to do. I was thinking, okay, you can get a sponge, like a sponge and you can put like, um, I, these are broccoli seeds or alfalfa seeds or radish seeds on them.

And you can just watch them grow in your house. So you don't have to be outside. If you don't want to be outside, you can be, you can grow things inside, you can do with seeds. And I would, so let's see. So I would say, first of all, pick some kind of theme or some kind of focus and go, okay.

And then come up in your mind, gather some supplies that you can have either something you can lead through like an experiment, like, okay, I'm going to show you how to do this, make a bubble mixture and then have another thing that they can do. For example, kids love to pour water.

So just buy some, uh, don't do anything really deep because that's not safe, but like a shallow pool, or if you have a dishpan and stick it in the floor of the kitchen with a towel and just say, okay, I'm one of the, one of the things that I do with my grandchildren, my kids had braces.

I had a ton of that, like, um, you know, those denture cleansers that you would, you know, 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, 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 their own and making that available and then choosing a one or two things that you want to say, Hey, let's, let's look at, like, I want to look at how water is, um, is a solvent.

What dissolves in water? What doesn't dissolve in water? What floats? What doesn't float? Just the, just those basic questions and then give it to them and let them, uh, experiment experiment. And then what I would do is make some kind of list, like stick a thing up on the wall.

Like if you're doing water, but water, word water, what do we, what do we know? And what did we find out? And just like, I'm not saying anything fancy, don't buy any pens, just write it down, you know, just jot it down. And then at the end of the week, if you did it for a week, go back and look and ask, what was your favorite thing?

And, or what did you recognize? Make like, even making my grandchildren had never eaten Jell-O. Um, so we made Jell-O, but then we, it's a science because you have hot water to activate the gelatin and, and then it, and then it kind of, you know, becomes more solid and like, yeah, for them that was magic.

So, so think of some things like, um, a theme like water and then choose things that they can do set aside. I want you to hear some stuff, try it, tell me what you think, and then choose one or two activities that you think, okay, I'm going to try this.

For example, if you had two straws and you put, have them sip water with using one straw and then have them sip water, put a straw on the outside of the cup and a straw on the inside of the cup and then drink water. Well, they can't because water it.

So those little things are really super easy to do along with like making Play-Doh and go, how did that work? Or use like cornstarch and water. It makes this new, it's so fascinating. Yeah. And be prepared because they'll want to do it more than one time. Uh-huh. And it's okay.

Let them do a thousand times. It's fine. Just buy more cornstarch. It's really not that bad. So I would just say, uh, pick either a topic like that, like go outside and choose an area that you're going to investigate fully. And then you can keep track of it, or you can do something inside, like choose a topic, like we're going to explore water and here's some ideas that we're going to do, or we're going to explore light, or we're going to look at critters.

You know, um, I, we did, I, oh goodness, we had so many critters, but you don't have to do that, but you can have, um, if you just go and get some crickets from, you can have a little cricket container and, and watch them not forever. Um, because sometimes they get like, well, um, but it's fun to see.

And I think that that's the thing. Uh, another thing that you can do is take just some clear contact paper and go and get harvest, um, samples of just weeds, different weeds and make us, it's like a giant slide basically. So put them on, cover it with clear contact paper, and then use your magnifying glass to like, look at the different ways and cut out each one, uh, and have them categorize it.

Is this green? Another thing that I do, and okay, I'm giving you too many things, but you go to, uh, Lowe's or someplace, you know how they have these free samples? Uh-huh. Yeah. So what you do is go get a bunch of green samples, just have your kids just, you know, and they're okay if you don't get hundreds of them.

And then go out and cut them in little strips and go out and see if you can match the greens outside. And then bring it inside and do some painting or coloring. If you have an art person, you bring in some samples and go, okay, I want you to try to match the green of this dandelion leaf with a green and then try to match them.

And what that helps kids see is that, wow, what it helps me see is like, wow, God is so in what an artist. Yeah. What an artist. He has just in this little square, he has put this color green, this color green, this color green, this color green. And, and I can't match it.

I can't do that. Only God can do that. And so that's where it brings you naturally to wonder. And that brings you to real thankfulness and worship because that God is going to take a, this is what impresses me is that that's the same God that says, you know, are you worried?

What does he tell you to do? He says, go look at the flowers and go look at the birds. That's a very unusual answer, right? But the reason is, is he knows that once we do that, once we see his world, we are so reassured, like, well, if God can make 50 kinds of green, then he can take care of me.

And I, and I think ultimately that does lead me, it always reassures me like, okay, I can relax. If he can do that, I think he can handle what I'm worried about today. So I think it just helps you. And so those are just some ideas. There are tons of things.

And I would also, one of the things I would try, I tried to do at the beginning of summer is just put in some kind of box, like science-y stuff. And that way it's in one place. I'm not going, you know, hither and yon to do that. So anyway, that would be, and there's, there's just, I mean, I've got a table full jello and orange arch and baking soda and, and sponges and yeah, containers, freeze a bunch of water and let them, let them melt.

Like, yeah, I would love that. Just get containers and try to melt get his little, put little things in it, little Legos or something in there and try to race with dad. It's out fastest. Yep. It's just so fun. So fun. You are really, you're really making me want to, to be a scientist.

Not that I'm not a scientist in self-regard. We all are, but to lean into it more and you're just such a wealth of information. And you're reminding me actually that I, it's the label that has thrown me off over the years because I loved this. So many of the things that you mentioned, I'm like, I have a, cause you all know listening that I was homeschooled through high school.

So I have a memory attached to a lot of the different experiences that you just described. When you use the corn, starch and water, I'm like, that's the best. And it's true that I think it's the best because we called it OOBLEC. We did it with the book, um, that Dr.

Seuss book. And I remember that was actually the experiment that my aunt did with us. She was a teacher when my brother was born at the hospital. That's when it was introduced to us, but we did it from that point forward and we put some green dye in it to make it look like a book.

But, but you're so correct that there are so many accessible ways for us to just go deep on one topic. You don't have to feel that you need to explore everything. Um, I'm going to try to package some of that list so that people can refer to it, um, over on our social media channels, just so that, so that people can go back to it because you, you really did give us so many great ideas and I know you have a million more.

So we'll have to talk about this again. There are tons, uh, and, and they're just repeats of all the things that, like you said, that have hold good memories, but yeah, it was that it was just fun to, to resurrect some of those ideas. It's great. It's so great.

Well, thank you for talking with us today and listeners. Thank you for, for coming along on this ride with us. I hope that you enjoyed it. I know that you enjoyed Amy. Um, she's such a blessing and your, your, your appreciation for life and those details. Um, those things are, are contagious about you.

And I, it's just such a gift that the Lord has given us in the body of Christ. And so I'm really encouraged by this conversation and I pray that it encourages you to, if you know a mom who maybe thinks, oh my goodness, everything's such a mess to be inspired.

She loves science, but she needs more ideas. Would you send this episode to them, um, and go let us know what you thought in a comment on social media or in a review? Um, because your feedback really is valuable to us and we want to make sure that we're making content that encourages you.

So thanks again for listening and we will see you again next week. you. So thanks again for listening.