The Scientific Method: A Life Skill
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The scientific method is an essential life skill in our children’s tool belt. As moms we wear many, many hats, and scientist is definitely one of them, therefore it is important for our children to develop this life skill as well. Let’s explore this wonderful skill, whose big name is just that, a big name. We actually practice the scientific method all the time, without realizing it.
What is the scientific method?
The scientific method is simply the process of asking questions, testing the answers to these questions and forming a conclusion. In other words: the scientific method is troubleshooting.
The reason it is called a “method” is because you usually follow different steps in an organized and logical way. This method can truly be used for pretty much anything, from questions we might have about nature or the weather to how to get that one child to go to bed and stay in bed.
The steps of the scientific method
1- Ask a question: this can be any question, but it often involves the five senses. Something has been noticed through the five senses such as the clouds seen speeding through the sky. And a question has arisen from this observation: Why are the clouds going so fast?
2- Make an observation: from the question comes an observation. What do I already know about the clouds? Have I researched the topic, and if so what have I learned? If I have not researched the topic yet, where can I find more information?
3- Hypothesis: What is my best guess as to why the clouds are speeding through the sky? How does it happen? How can I prove it?
4- Experimenting: In order to prove my hypothesis I need to experiment with it, I build an experiment, using different tools and resources and following specific steps in order to do that.
5- Analysis: Once I have run through my experiment I need to analyze the results: did they prove my hypothesis? Why did I get these results? What could I do differently?
6- Conclusion: Was my hypothesis correct? If not, what happened and how can I start again to find the answer to my question?
Why teach the scientific method?
Our children will encounter questions for the rest of their lives, it only seems just to equip them to answer these questions themselves without having to have recourse to someone else (or to Google) for every single question. Sometimes it can be painful for me, Mom, to let them explore their questions on their own when I know the answer and it would be so much faster and easier to answer right away. But that is doing my child a tremendous disservice. My child needs to explore the world around her, she needs to ask questions, she needs me to teach her the skills to answer these questions in a logical, step by step fashion. That is exactly what the scientific method does. It teaches many life skills that will always be needed and used.
What does the scientific method teach my child?
Through the scientific method my child learns that she can ask questions, make observations, learn new things, and find an answer. It also teaches that not all failure is wrong. Failure just means that I need to try again. I need to ask the question differently, maybe, or try a different experiment, but I have still learned something. Failure is also a learning opportunity. That “lesson” alone is priceless, failure is not the evil that it seems, much good can come out of it.
Different skills learned through each step of the method:
1- Ask a question: it is important for our children to know that they can ask questions and how to formulate their questions. Without questions, they will not grow and learn, they will stagnate in their ignorance.
2- Make an observation: this can take time, but helping my child find out what she already knows about her question is very important. She needs to figure out how different things are related and work together. My job is to ask her guiding questions and wait for her to answer them.
3- Hypothesis: helping my child form her own hypothesis of why and how will help her formulate an argument to prove her point, a skill that all adults employ multiple times a day.
4- Experimenting: planning and carrying out an investigation, using already acquired skills to do so and doing it in an organized manner are life skills that are used daily, even if it is just in the kitchen. Being able to follow a plan to completion is very important.
5- Analysis: being able to analyze what they have done, how they have done it and to build a coherent summary of the results is a fantastic skill. Through this analysis my child will also learn to communicate clearly her question, her hypothesis and the results.
6- Conclusion: my child is now able to defend her stand and her answer. She might have also learned that it is fine to make mistakes and have to start all over again. Learning that being wrong is not necessarily a bad thing, that learning still happens even if you did not succeed the first time is crucial.
How to teach the scientific method
There is no real right and wrong way to teach the scientific method, you just follow each step one at a time. It does not have to be done in a formal setting. Teaching the scientific method can be finding the answer to a simple question while on a nature walk. Simply answering her questions with guiding questions will go a long way. Showing her how to follow the steps in a recipe is a great first step in teaching the scientific method. Encouraging her to change the end results of the recipe by only changing one ingredient at a time and noting the results. Every day we have so many opportunities to guide our child through the scientific method without turning it into a lecture. Making it a more academic experience is also important. To help you with this I have created this little printable that will help you go through each step.
- Newton’s Rainbow: The Revolutionary Discoveries of a Young Scientist, by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
This wonderful retelling of how Isaac Newton answered his questions using the scientific method will walk your family through the benefits of using this method. An easy to understand tale accompanied by beautiful illustrations, it makes an enjoyable read-aloud as well as a great help to understand the efficiency of the scientific method.
(January 2025, Booklover Booklist) - Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France, by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
This whole book demonstrates Benjamin Franklin’s use of the scientific method to debunk Dr. Mesmer’s “miracles”. Extremely well written with entertaining illustrations, this book takes you straight into the heart of the scientific method.
(May 2025 Booklover Booklist) - Mammoth Science: The Big Ideas That Explain Our World, by David Macaulay
A great help in anything science it contains many experiments, helping form the mind to follow the scientific method as well as help develop how to create and follow and experiment. The fact that mammoths teach all the lessons makes this book a sure win.
Love,
Mattie
