Elementary Science

Even before Rushdoony turned me away from Classical Education I was not satisfied with the approach to science taken by the author of the Classical curriculum I planned on using. She thought that the study of science in any rigorous sense should be left entirely to college students, and that younger students could be sufficiently educated by only observing nature, learning the history of science and learning to counter evolutionary arguments.

Such an approach is normal for classical education. Science was not one of the subjects taught in the traditional classical curriculum, because science was only pursued by aristocrats with a lot of time on their hands. In today's world most jobs involve some kind of technology, so in order to properly equip our children for a calling, they must have a knowledge of basic science. Further, science education should be systemmatic and orderly because that reflects God's created order. Studying bees, then clouds, then volcanoes, then whatever else suits your fancy reflects the evolutionary humanist worldview that all we have are random, isolated facts, plus it runs the risk of missing important areas.

Rigorous study of the traditional areas of science (biology, chemisty and physics) involves higher math, so it will necessarily be left for high school or middle school. In grades 1 - 6, I can teach my students about different areas of science, to give them a framework on which to place future learning, and also to whet their appetites for study of science. I believe that such an objective can be accomplished in 2 days a week, instead of the 5 days per weeks assigned to most subjects.

Science is, at its most basic, a systemmatic study of God's creation. Studying God's creation should lead us to praise Him for His wisdom and power. It should also enable us to more effectively take dominion over the earth for the glory of God.

To build observation skills and cultivate a love of and interest in the creation we live in I will take the elementary school students out to a park or to our backyard on the first pleasant day of each term to make observations in their nature journals. Each student will choose three living things to record. The older students will draw the organisms on the spot. I will take pictures of the organisms chosen by the younger students (for the students to draw from later). All students will record the time of day, the place, the weather, and any observations they can make about the organisms that they chose. The next day the students will look up each of their organisms in a guidebook and write down facts about the organism in their notebooks. The next day we will go to the library to pick out books on the organisms. The next three days each student will read (or be read) the books about his organism. The following lesson we will continue with our regular science curriculm. In this manner the students will learn the skills of observation which are necessary for science. It will, I hope, encourage them to enjoy being outside, which is healthy. They will also learn about the area we live in, so that they can begin, even now, to take dominion over their area of the earth, to the glory of God. Finally, I hope that, knowing details about the life around them, when my children see that life again they will be more easily moved to praise God for His wise and marvelous Creation.

For the elementary science curriculm, I have chosen the Answers in Genesis-distributed curriculm called God's Design for Science. It is written for elementary school, but it is done in an organized way, always stressing the role of God the Creator. It includes lessons to be read, hands-on projects, quizzes and tests. It has 11 units, which I calculate, can be completed in grades 1 - 7. Look for this curriculum at www.answersingenesis.com