National Science Teacher Association

As a past (okay, current) science geek, science with kids comes easy to me. I have a B.S. in Chemistry, which qualifies me for running tests on expensive machines repeatedly until I die with boredom. More importantly, having a science background has helped me to do academic research in all disciplines, including education. Science can be intimidating for many teachers, though I have worked with many excellent teachers who didn't have science backgrounds and who taught some of the most enriching and educational science lessons I've seen.


Science after school is not a new endeavor for our family. My husband is an engineer, and will lecture JillyBoo endlessly about the contributions that engineers make to society. "JillyBoo, who do you think made this road?" "Engineers!" JillyBoo will exclaim. At JillyBoo's Montessori school last year, she was fortunate to learn under the tutelage of Ms. Kelly, who brought so many great ideas and experiments to the classroom. JillyBoo would talk about prisms, the Earth's elliptical orbit and how to tell a mammal from an amphibian at the dinner table-and she was only 3 1/2!

Here, a three-year-old JillyBoo waits for mommy to swirl our homemade lava lamp!

For preschoolers, observations of the natural world, animal studies and cooking are three great areas to concentrate your homeschooling efforts. You can't beat camping for great nature studies, such as collecting branches, pinecones, comparing rocks and waterways. It's also great for building doll beds and structures! (see video below)

A great resource for homeschooling parents and for teachers is membership in the National Science Teachers Association. I am a member, and emailed the membership department for clarification of which membership option would be best for homeschooling parents. They stated that homeschoolers would do a one-year, $75 Individual Membership, which includes access to ALL NSTA journals online and one in print. I'm currently subscribing to Science & Children and find myself frequently inspired by the awesome ideas and pedagogy discussed in the journal. I have also purchased many e-Books in pdf format from the website, which includes a discount for NSTA members. If anyone has great science ideas, please share!