Cat is not a science geek. Dave is - if it's applied sciences. However, Cat grew up in an extended family of unschooling science freaks (I say it with love, guys... ;~). So the methodology is familiar.

The unschooling of science is what happens when Grandma gives Spazzerific a Field Guide to Birds for his 6th birthday. Especially when he goes, "Just what I wanted!!" It is the installation of a feeder, the establishment of an annual list of sightings.

It is baking soda, vinegar, and a papier-mache "volcano," exploding all over the kitchen. Or, if you're one of Dave's wilder relatives, it's, "Guess what, here's a great recipe for homemade explosives!" (In controlled, supervised circumstances, homemade explosives used to be an educational experience on both sides of the family. In the post-9/11 world, things have changed.) It is a nitroglycerin-manufacturing experiment out in the pasture. It is rocket launching - the whole thing built from scratch, even the fuel. It is a self-made biodiesel processor and the chemistry involved in manufacturing the stuff.

The unschooling of science is having a microscope handy, along with some slides and a handbook on how to prepare them properly. It's taking a root of one's own hair and looking at it. It's getting a cow's eyeball from the local abattoir and doing a dissection.

For us, thanks to TYDOS and our rural setting, it's primarily botany and observation of the natural world. We sow seeds and learn about how they develop. We go duck-watching out at the ponds. We keep track of wildlife sightings. We discuss things like land management, sustainability, and agricultural practices. We visit Granddad's sheep farm for lambing and animal husbandry. As a Power Engineer, Dave has much to offer the kids from his work experience in the manufacture of industrial chemicals. His job involves math, physics and chemistry in a variety of applied settings.

However, if you're not sure what basic science "should" involve, just be willing to let your kids explore their environment. They'll show you.

We live in the world, and we test its parameters. That is the essence of experimental science. In terms of theory, philosophy, and historical science, we make heavy use of the resources of Creation Ministries International, because these explanations best fit the facts that the body of scientific knowledge has documented about our world.

Here are some ideas to get you started on a Science lifestyle: