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Sep. 20, 2005
Science foundations
Well, we started science yesterday, so we are starting a bit of a "foundations" study on that, I guess. I need to get all that terminology straight so I can sound like I know what I am talking about. Anyway, here is what we got so far, and a bit of a projection of where I plan to go.
First, we defined science from Webster's 1828 dictionary and discussed the words. Really, we just stuck with the Latin root "scio" meaning "knowledge." That is the core of our definition. The definition she came up with (with a little help from mom) was "Science is knowledge about the world." I want to set two purposes for science. The first is that learning about God's creation teaches us about God. The second is part of the dominion mandate. The more we know about creation, the more we can use it wisely for useful purposes.
Right away, she figured that the most important thing to learn by studying creation was to know more about God. Of coures, we kind of have gone through that in every subject, so she has a nice answer that is "always right" to give me when I ask "why?" Armed with that knowledge, I made up a little worksheet for her to take to the zoo with us. She had to find animals that fit in each category. We're starting with mammal, bird, fish and reptile, just because she already knows them. She is going to sort them out and decide when they were each created.
Next we are going to focus on "each according to its kind" and focus on the distinctness of the species. Then we will look at the information we have gained and start trying to reason about what kind of God we serve by looking at the provisions He has made for His creation. Somewhere, we will probably discuss a bit about taxonomy. Adam shall be our first taxonomist; I haven't quite figure out what, if anything, I want to do with Carl Linneus at this point. His system is very relevant to our discussion of "kinds" but I need to finish contemplating how to introduce this to keep from inadvertantly teaching evolution. I don't think there is any solid information for real relationships between animals beyond the genus level, and that corresponds well with the idea of "kinds."
Alongside this, we will also be talking about how knowledge translates into useful things. Yesterday in the car, she asked about how airplanes fly, so I told her a bit about Mr. Boyle and what he discovered about fluids moving. That knowledge may be interesting enough to some, but applied to the shape of an airplane's wing, it helps humans to fly. We talked about that a bit, and later she explained how an airplane is able to fly to her father.
Since we are moving into canning season, we will be talking a bit about Louis Pasteur. We actually have a bit, but I intend for him to be our first scientist to study formally. And, of course, our application will be canning. I'm not sure how much my daughter will be involved in actual canning, however. I don't want her to get burnt.
Nothing big today. We continued in our bible lesson to "remember the Sabbath Day." We worked on our next four phonograms, and finished up with addition. We start with subtraction tomorrow. Last week for history we determined that God works through individuals to complete His plan for the nations. She had an insightful moment. I asked her what God's plan was at the beginning of creation. I led her a bit, asking about the instructions God had given. She came up with "multiply" and "walk with Him." Adam and Eve were the first example of this. Later, when we get to Abraham, I will point this out again. But I asked her about God's plan for us today, and she quickly reasoned that He still desires for us to "multiply and replenish the Earth" and to "walk with Him." The multiplication today, however, is achieved through the Great Commission and sharing Christ.
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Sep. 21, 2005 - Hi Dana! Thanks for the dental tip u left on my blog! I think I'll try it!
deidra