ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

hi all,

good point by Phil. It's been quite a challenging exercise to come up
with a good explanation for a young kid. I tried to write my
own. Let's see:

---
So you wanna be a scientist?
Sometimes, when you play, you do some of the things that scientists
do when exploring the natural world: classifying, breaking apart,
digging up, testing, adding up, measuring, and so much more.

Science, however, is more than all those things. It is a
way to learn about Nature and all its wonders. Many of these
wonders we see every day. Others take place in remote places
or were around long time ago, before your granddad was born,
even before the dinosaurs roamed Earth!

Like the games you play, Science has rules. Here they are:

Rule 1: ask a question and guess the answer.
Rule 2: find the answer yourself by doing an experiment.

What is an experiment? It is an activity you do to help you find
the answer to your question. You can use your senses, instruments,
materials, and even living beings. You need to make sure that
the experiment will really help you find the answer, and you
can repeat it as many times as you need it to be sure of that.
There is a catch here: you cannot look up for the answer in a book
or by asking uncle George (they could be wrong!).

Rule 3: if your experiment does not agree with your answer,
change your answer for a better one, and start all over.

Scientists always record their questions and answers, experiments
and results, so they can check out their progress.
--------

Of course, one could argue that it has to be a valid question.
"What is the capital of Qatar? " does not lead to scientific inquiry,
but "how many adults know what the capital of Qatar is", may.

Of course, one or more examples should be added to this,
so that the child can follow. Most likely, examples with minimum explanations
are a much better way to illustrate what science is.

Cheers,

Pedro

ps: yes, I know it's too long for a museum display. So here's
another definition: "science is what you ought to do to get published so you
can renew your grant". Hey, it's only a joke! :)


----------------------------------------------------------
Pedro Saizar, PhD
Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio
Trelew - Chubut
Argentina
www.mef.org.ar        +54 (2965) 432-100
----------------------------------------------------------



On 4/19/06, Phil Edgerton <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Many people are willing to talk around a definition but few are giving an
> alternative of their own. Here's mine: "Science is the process of trying to
> get reliable answers to questions about the world within you and without
> you." (Apologies to George Harrison, RIP). That one is probably for people a
> bit older than first graders. For them it might be, "Science is playing
> around with stuff and seeing what happens."
>
> Phil Edgerton
> Exhibits Technician
> The Health Adventure
> Asheville, NC 28801
>
> ***********************************************************************
> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at
> http://www.astc.org.
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> [log in to unmask]
>


--

***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]