Teaching science concepts to your toddler

Back in 1996, the National Resource Council of the National Academy of
Sciences released the National Science Education Standards, which outline what students need to know, understand and be able to do to be scientifically literate at various grades. I don’t see the original publication any longer on the National Academies website, but the Department of Education’s Help Your Child learn series outlines five basic scientific concepts for your child to build on learning future scientific facts.

These concepts are:

• Systems, Order and Organization – This is the idea that everything can be broken down into its parts, or classifying living things by characteristics such as fur or hair.
• Evidence, Models and Explanations – Scientists test their explanations. Young children can carry out their own tests, which start with a question that follows an observation, such as what makes a ball bounce?
• Change, Constancy and Measurement – Things change fast or slowly. Help your child to observe, for example what happens to their oatmeal when warm milk or water is added to it, or what happens to plants over time that are not watered. Change can really be detected by measuring. Measurement is the link between math and science. Help your baby to measure things, such as their own growth chart.
• Evolution – How things change over time. Discuss your child’s own changes with them, by showing baby photos, toddler photos, and other photos as they grow.
  Form and Function – How the shape of a natural or man-made thing is related to what it does. Why does a giraffe have a long neck? Why are books rectangular?
• Scientific Integrity – The rules of science, or the scientific method. It is based on careful observation, recording, sharing information, being open to change as new observtions are made. Be sure your child understands science safety (not to put anything in their mouth without your supervision, wear goggles, not to touch unknown substances, read instructions, avoid accidents and emergency response—from telling you or another nearby adult or authority figure to calling 9-1-1) and be sure to keep toxic or dangerous substances away from them.

As you know, Destiny Baby just turned two years old a little over a month ago, so we are at a really basic level now. I try to explain things as he is watching them. He is curious about everything, so getting his attention doesn’t seem to be a problem. For example, when I make his oatmeal, I show him the dry cereal, then explain that I’m adding juice or milk. I let him touch it while it’s cold (mostly to appeal for him to be patient while I warm his food!) Then he can touch it while it’s warm. He now blows (very earnestly and strongly) on hot things, which is pretty hilarious (to us, at least) to see. I was happy to see that the little things we do on a daily basis are in fact part of the building blocks of his scientific knowledge.