Science, whether it is geography, physics, or biology, and even history, leads us to realize that there is an order of the universe. Everything we know is, somehow, interdependent.
First of all, we must name everything. A child can first satisfy her natural curiosity by learning what things are called. This includes everything from parts of the child’s own body to things inside or outside the classroom to objects on the earth or in the sky.
Once the child identifies what is around her, she can begin to categorize. For example, what is living, what is non-living; what is an animal, what is a plant; what is land, what is water; what is a solid, what is a liquid, what is a gas; what has already happened, and what has not happened yet?
The child is now free to wonder deeper and deeper into each subject. She can now ask questions like what kind of an animal is this. Is this metal or non-metal? What kind of a land formation is this? She is also free to wonder “how” or “why”.
Science and history are not lofty studies that can only be understood by adults. One whose senses have been trained to notice begins these concepts very early on. Once this foundation is laid, the possibilities of future learning are endless!
