Episode 30: The Rich Experience of Unschooling Science
Have you ever thought about what it looks like to learn science in an organic way? To really celebrate it and live a life where you and your kids are interacting with it through passion and practicality? To see it linked to or naturally occurring in so many other things in your days? We chat with April from @modern.homeschoolers and Anne from @obytheby in the latest episode, The Rich Experience of Unschooling Science. We talk about curiosity, joy, fun, depth of learning, our role as parents, stewardship, gaps (or not) and more. We hope you’ll have a listen!
We Discuss:
How expansive science is, as its own subject and the way it weaves in and out and interrelates to other things
That we can take on stories and messages that we aren’t good at science or aren’t “science people” based solely on past experiences (fear of a dissection or a Bunsen burner) without seeing the vastness of science
How planning can sometimes ruin the spontaneity of scientific exploration
The power of experiencing science firsthand
Exploring science outside where so much of it actually happens
How kids’ practical capabilities around interacting with scientific aspects of things often develop much earlier than their ability to understand it formally
Learning as much as we need or want about a particular topic – sometimes the need is filled without getting heavily into formal terminology
Interest as a great equalizer
Following our child into their interest and learning alongside them
People of all ages being able to connect over a common passion
The internet and YouTube in particular as incredible tools for finding information quickly and thoroughly
Flipping the traditional assumption of “teacher” and “learner” – letting go of the need to be the “passer on of information”
Whether having been conventionally schooled holds us back from trying things we might not be good at
Being willing to dive in and explore and not worrying about pass and fail – not even seeing scientific discovery through that lens
Science as being real and live and something to dive into
Science as a dialogue
Questions leading to questions leading to questions and the joy of actually being able to say that we don’t know
Science “experiments” often being more demonstrations and sets of steps to try to re-create someone else’s conclusion than they are true experiments
Virtual versions of interests as also filling a need to dive into something and build knowledge
Special interests as connecting to such a range of people and ages and how that elevates the learning and value for all
The lack of time a lot of kids and teens have to dive into deep interests and so sometimes our kids might be low in similar-age peers to spend time with pursuing their scientific hobby or passion
“Accidental” science lessons from chance or practical necessity
How ownership of one role can lead to confidence in other roles
The amazing realization that science can be so incredible and a degree of grief of not realizing early in life
Hands-on and natural science as being much more than science experiments but rather coming up in everyday life
Mixes of subjects: material exploration or nature walks leading to pretend play, contemplative conversation, building or any number of things
The amount of science we learn that has nothing to do with passion, but more to do with practical- almost everything we do interacts with science in some way
That sometimes we are learning science as a by-product of another interest
How nature doesn’t perform on cue so there’s benefit in just going out or being curious without an outcome
Our planned expectations are often not the things kids will remember
Citizen science as a way to engage in “official” science
The immense amount of science learned through TV shows and stories
Kids identifying with a character in a story who is having scientific adventures
Micro backyard science adventures like time-lapses and nature cams
TV shows as inspiration for interactive, experimental and pretend play on throughout the day and beyond
The richness of neighbourhood walks
The library!
Not underestimating kids’ interest in adult or non-child science science shows
TV as interactive and physical learning
Small world play, building structures and interests like skateboarding as science
The interplay between what we bring in and what our kids are naturally inspired by
The degrees to which we can step out of our comfort zones to offer space for mess
Other adults as teachers and mentors and co-explorers
Whether we think that kids will have gaps without formal science instruction
Not letting math get in the way – the field of science as needing the “ideas” people as much or more as the “maths” people
Stewardship as a driving force for learning and lack of stewardship as maybe being a bigger gap than anything academic
Learning how to narrate and present from YouTube
The frustration of assessment
That it might be as simple as “Don’t ruin it for them”
Heart (sense of wonder, spirituality, creativity, ethics and conservation) as a driving force for scientific inquiry
Being responsibly curious – science as an opportunity to explore but in ways that are respectful to nature
The balance between wildlife, safety and ethics – opportunities for good conversation
Science and nature as ways to offer kids chances to take on responsibility, have freedom to roam and agency over their learning
Resources:
Virtual Kitchen Table Episode #28: Spot the Learning
Planet Fungi Documentary