July 24, 2020 – What about Science?

Science is a scary word for some people. For me, as a veterinarian, it’s my first love.

Please don’t let science scare you! It’s all about observation and recording data and hands-on learning.

Have you heard of Gregor Mendel? He is considered the “Father of Modern Genetics”. Do you know what he did? He grew pea plants. He recorded his findings. He grew more pea plants. He kept recording his findings.

And that simple act of repetition, recording results, and sharing with others made him a famous scientist.

What about Jane Goodall? Hasn’t everyone heard of the chimpanzee lady? She also became a world-renowned scientist. Know what she did? She observed and recorded chimpanzee behavior.

Her great science tools? A notebook, a pencil, and a pair of binoculars.

Science is not difficult. It is recording our world, making educated guesses (hypotheses), and trying to see if a pattern occurs.

Graphs are an important part of science. They can be so much fun!

Pie charts, bar graphs, and line graphs simply give a visual picture of data that has been recorded.

Every child that has been to the pediatrician has been “graphed” in a growth chart to measure that child against the average children in our country.

Understanding our world is the key to science. You can learn observation skills by watching zoo cameras, counting cars that pass your street every day, tracking trends of when and where people shop, charting how many fish you catch over a period of time, making growth charts for everyone in your family, and so much more!

Food science involves cooking the same brownie recipe with baking soda one time and baking powder the next. What was different? Why?

Veterinary science happens every time you take your dog for a walk, teach it a trick, or observe interactions with people or other animals.

Marine science can be studied by visiting aquariums, watching whale cameras and documentaries, and building and observing your own home aquarium. Chart water temperature, pH of the water, fish food used, and growth and death rates.

Behavioral science is observation. Set up at the library one day a week. Observe people. How many come into the library every Tuesday? How many people work? Who interacts well together?

Tracking weather is another science. My daughter loves weather. She watches documentaries, the weather channel, studies clouds, checks the rain gauge, and keeps up with temperatures and humidity levels.

Please don’t be afraid of science! Simply begin to explore your world. Read an engaging science book together, and when you come across a topic that interests your child, dive deep!

Go on field trips, check out library books, watch documentaries, find people who are in that line of work and do interviews.

Collect insects, grow seeds, watch birds, track your weather, grow caterpillars into butterflies, hatch eggs, make bath bombs, cook, visit zoos and farms, build electrical circuits, fly kites and paper airplanes, make earthquake proof buildings out of noodles and marshmallows.

The opportunities and possibilities are endless!

Make science journals of your studies and recordings. That’s how many of our famous scientists became world renowned:

Simply by observation and the of sharing information.

Now go do science!