Bring in Nature & Spark Curiosity

I bring natural objects into the library media center frequently and put them on the circulation desk.  I usually place a book next to the object that gives information about it.   These displays spark lots of questions, comments, observations, and conversations.  Sometimes I post a series of questions using the International Baccalaureate concept questions (form, function, causation, responsibility, etc).  Often I have a couple of magnifying lens out for the students to use.

Science Standards

Having these displays help students toward meeting the Georgia Performance Standards in Science, for instance in the Characteristics of Science, Habits of Mind for all the grade levels (K-5) with some variation states: " Students will be aware of the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works.  Raise questions about the world around them and be willing to seek answers to some of the questions by making careful observations and measurements and trying to figure things out. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating objects in scientific activities. Use ordinary hand tools and instruments to construct, measure, and look at objects."

Cricket frogs?

Cricket Frog?

A couple of weeks ago we were inundated with very small frogs (about 3/4 inches).  I collected a few from my yard and put them in a jar.  I tried to key them using a field guide and I think they might be cricket frogs, but they are so darned small!  I placed a book about frogs next to the jar along with magnifying lens.

This morning I gathered some mushrooms and brought them in.  I placed World Book Discovery Encyclopedia behind the mushrooms.  I got a new idea and included the Spanish edition of the encyclopedia, too.  Hongo is the Spanish word for mushroom!

Naturalistic Learners

In one of my graduate classes we are reading about different learning styles and I realized this practice that I have been doing for years is appealing to our students who are naturalistic learners.  It also freaks out others (and that's okay)!