Cooking is a Science too!

Life has been hectic lately. Between school, work, being a Mom and wife I feel stretched so thin these days. Hey that's what life is all about though and I wouldn't change one thing! I have never been the greatest cook but I am always attempting and trying to improve my cooking skills, especially now that I am a Mom! My two year old daughter just recently discovered that cooking with Mommy is her new favorite past time, so whenever I can I try to allow her to be a part of it!.She insists on pulling up a kitchen chair to the counter tops every time we are in the kitchen now! I truly believe that allowing children to explore and learn through something as simple as helping in the kitchen can help them to engage and learn in many ways. My daughter is able to pour things into a measuring cup, even though she doesn't understand the concept of numbers to that extent it still allows her to gain fine motor skills and develop an understanding. Also I let her mix ingredients together. We talk about what each item is, what is smells like, and sometimes are able to taste certain things. Cooking allows her to use her senses to explore and discover. Relating cooking to education is something that can absolutely be done. There are a number of ways that a teacher can implement science into a quick cooking activity in the classroom. I am a firm believer in the concept that kids learn from doing and not just seeing or listening!

 

 

 

This was her first attempt at homemade pizza!

 

Science Day Date!

After visiting the Discovery Center for our class workshop I couldn't wait to take my almost two year old daughter, Kinleigh! I have lived in the Murfreesboro area for a long time and have never been until then. We made a girls day out of it, and my Mom and I took her the following Saturday.

We arrived at 10am when they opened, which was great because we were able to have more time in each activity because it wasn't to busy yet. It was an awesome adventure for all of us. She went right to it as soon as we got in the door. She was able to touch and explore so many different things.

One of her favorite activities was getting to play in the rock area, basically it is comparable to a huge sand box except filled with rocks. While she was scooping and moving the rocks around she would say "Look Mommy big rock, small rock" and she even named some of the colors of the rocks. She was able to paint. use markers, crayons, and other fun things to be creative with.

We played most of the time in the large area that is designated for ages 2-5. Kinleigh was able to interact with other children her age and explore with them. It was set up in stations, music, home living, blocks, and books, were among many of the different areas. There was a giant tree house in the middle that she was able to climb in, which she absolutely thought was the coolest thing ever! She was able to explore many different aspects of science in just a few hours. Watching her was so much fun, it was incredible to see how she instantly knew how to go about some of the activities that she had never done. 

Our day at the Discovery Center really reminded me that children, even that young are naturally curious and creative little thinkers, a lot more than some give them credit for! We all had such a great day and have decided that we will be making many more day dates at the Discovery Center.

Adventures in Science Class

This past weekend marked the start to my Teaching Science class!  After taking 16 grueling hours of undergraduate science courses, this weekend helped me to remember that science is fun! I seemed to have forgotten that up until this point. It was a great start to my semester and was filled with so many great experiences.

Friday night we attended the Friday Star Party meeting on campus, where we learned about lunar and sun phases. It was definitely a learning experience for me. I was so impressed with the presentation style and how the lecture tied Hollywood and Science together in such a unique way. After the lecture we were able to go outside and look through the large telescopes that were set up. Saturn and Mars were among a few of the awesome things that were able to be seen!

Saturday was packed full of so many exciting activities. As a class we attended a workshop held at the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro. Not only is the Discovery Center a super awesome place to take kids it is full of great resources for teachers. It was truly a great learning experience. The workshop was centered around two different Science based curriculums geared for early childhood all the way to 8th grade. We were able to participate in several of the lessons which was a great way to see how these activities can be applied in the classroom. We were also able to take our learning outside and explore nature. The hands on learning was a lot of fun and it really made me excited about teaching! Overall the first weekend of class really got me pumped about diving into the world of teaching. I am excited to learn more about how to apply science in the classroom.

New at this Blogging thing!

This is my very first post to my very first BLOG, so I hope I get it right! I am fresh into my first semester of my Master's Program to earn my Teacher Licensure for grades K-6. Becoming an Educator in the classroom is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time. I often wonder why I waited this long to pursue my passion, but I guess it was just timing and now is my time! I will share some of my experiences throughout my coursework and how they impact me as a future educator. I know it will be a long road ahead, but well worth it. Maybe I can inspire someone to follow their dream!