Homeschool Science Tip of the Month - Practice and learn about the scientific method.

The scientific method requires that one observes and tests before making a statement of fact. It's a key principle of science that we need to introduce to our students.

But, how do we as homeschoolers do this with multiple ages of students? Here are a few ideas.

During the preschool and elementary years, we can introduce the scientific method through representation. We can do this by:

• Emphasizing curiosity across the subject lines, which will build their observation and question-making skills both of which are key to the first few steps of the scientific method.
• Modeling steps four through six of the scientific method to our students during regular scientific demonstrations.

During the middle school years and beyond, we can provide hands-on, inquiry-based experiences that will allow our students to practice the steps of the scientific method. We can do this by: 

• Allowing these students to perform their own experiments, under our guidance. 
• Offering them a chance to use the scientific method from start to finish through the science fair project.

The key is to allow our students to have real-life, hands-on interaction with the steps of the scientific method multiple times during their educational journey. By giving them these opportunities, we are creating a pathway for etching this process into their minds.