Its never too early to start thinking about how you want to run your family’s educational endeavors for the coming school year. This Fall five of my children will be focusing their senses and observational skills on the plant world. They will be exploring the botanical wonders of the world! Maybe your family will focus your gaze further up and out on the Heavens. Perhaps you will be exploring the world of mechanics or of chemistry or of herpetology (study of reptiles and amphibians)!
Whatever the big topical area you are wading into, I want to encourage you to do one thing a bit different this time. In addition to a good text, or broad set of curated readers to accompany the topic, find one small project that can accompany your children throughout the entire study. For botany, a houseplant that becomes a member of the family for a year, or maybe more! For astronomy a daily calendar of the what tonight’s night sky will reveal or a homemade planisphere to use all year. For chemistry, a copper sulfate crystal to grow throughout the year.
Come up with your semester or year’s Creation focus. Brainstorm several possibilities that would make observing and getting outside and the science process more enjoyable on a weekly basis. Do a dry run and then decide what works best, what most excites and motivates you as a parent and your children. Take the next month and try a few possibilities. Your dry run will be rewarded with more motivation and some of the planning for the fall already begun.
