Last Friday was World Wildlife Day and you might have started dabbling in a little biological (life) science! But if you didn't, now's your chance to go explore because this Sunday (I know...we're cheating a little, but it was too good not to share!) is Darwin Day!
Charles Darwin's explorations in science are an excellent springboard to reflect and act on the principles of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity and scientific thinking. So dive into Friday Fun; learn, play and grow!
What is Darwin Day?
February 12th (this Sunday!) is International Darwin Day; it's purpose?
To inspire people all over the world to reflect and act on the principles of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, scientific thinking, and hunger for truth as embodied in Charles Darwin.
Darwin's theories have been fundamental to the understanding of life and the species of the world as we know it - so this special day is one of celebration, activism, and international cooperation for the advancement of science, education, and human well-being.
The common language of science is an opportunity for organisations, individuals and nations to form partnerships for the common good of all. The United Nations (and its members) observe Darwin Day because it embodies everything that is great about science, inquiry, cooperation, and collaboration.
How to Celebrate Darwin Day!
Darwin Day is all about exploring the natural world, scientific concepts and methods, inquiring, questioning and exploring; and it can take all sorts of interesting twists and turns - taking you down many a rabbit-hole! So, let your questions carry you on a wild ride of discovery - that is one of the most beautiful things about science, there are always new frontiers to explore!
If you're aligning with the Australian Curriculum, don't be afraid to explore across bands (year levels), don't feel locked in by the topics apportioned to each grade - delve deeper, explore more broadly and enjoy the topics is as much or as little depth as you prefer. Each year level in the Australian Curriculum explores three interrelated strands: Science Understanding, Science as a Human Endeavour, and Science Inquiry Skills. Each of these is fundamental in gathering a deep understanding of the scientific world. Here's a quick summary of each:
Science Understanding
Science understanding is the facts, concepts, principles, laws, theories and models that have been established by scientists over time; and strengthens a student's ability to select and integrate appropriate science knowledge to explain and predict phenomena through the exploration of different topics - usually grouped into four sub-strands of Biological, Chemical, Earth & Space and Physical Sciences (which often have a lot of overlap!).
Science as a Human Endeavour
Humans use science to improve their understanding and explanations of the natural world; they do this by collecting evidence, posing and responding to social and ethical questions, and conducting scientific research. Science as a human endeavour showcases the importance of science in decision-making and problem-solving, and that science is a unique way of knowing and doing. It also recognises the contributions of many different people and different cultures; as well as drawing attention to the many rewarding science-based careers available. By exploring the nature and development of science, and the use and influence of science - students are able to develop a deeper understanding and connection with the purpose of science.
Science Inquiry Skills
Science inquiry involves identifying and posing questions; planning, conducting and reflecting on investigations; processing, analysing and interpreting evidence; and communicating findings. This strand is concerned with evaluating claims, investigating ideas, solving problems, drawing valid conclusions and developing evidence-based arguments. This is the hands-on, experimenting part of science where students can conduct experimental tests, participate in field work, conduct research and use those information sources to inform their work, conduct surveys, and use modelling and simulations (science sims are actually pretty cool and there are loads online for free!).
As you can see, Darwin Day is loaded with potential to check off your curriculum needs - our job is to make it as fun as possible! Use this day to springboard new units, brainstorm new ideas, ask questions, read (I mean...research 😉), and get out into the world exploring. Some of the greatest discoveries humankind has ever made have been because someone sought adventure, the next great discovery might be yours!
What Are We Doing?
READ
We're going to be reading Grandmother Fish as an introduction to this topic for our littlies. This book has clear, simple sentences; bolded key words and uses repetition - all wonderful tools for supporting early reading. Something we particularly liked about this book is the 'calls to action' where kids have an opportunity to act out movements or respond when asked a direct question. We'll also be looking at some more complex texts for our teen. Check out our list of ten books we think you should add to your library below!
WATCH
Crash Course and Crash Course Kids are always firm favourites at our house - they are informative but relatively short (great for those challenged with a need to move!) and there are so many topics you could spend a lifetime watching these clips!
We're going to start with a Crash Course History of Science video and depending on interest; either move into other Crash Course videos or head over and check out some documentaries.
We've recently come across PBS Eons, and there are loads of very cool informational videos there to explore!
Some documentaries that are on our list to explore further are:
Creation (2009)
Galapagos (1996)
Inherit the Wind (1960)
The Genius of Charles Darwin (2008)
And of course, anything David Attenborough is always a safe bet, especially for the younger kids!
PLAY
We'll be trying out a new game called On the Origin of Species where you assist Charles Darwin during the Beagle journey across the Galapagos Islands, discovering new species and researching them in order to improve your knowledge. We're also considering exploring some of the Evolution series of board games and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey a digital game where the goal to make their primate clan survive for millions of years. All of these games have stellar educational potential and they're fun!
CREATE
We're keen to get creative and have set ourselves a challenge to create some Darwinian-inspired art.
By using the themes:
Evolution
Origins of Humans
Animal
The Way the Planet Continues to Move Forward
We will create art of our choosing and share it with each other (and hopefully some friends too!). Our art might be: Poetry
Paintings
Drawings
Sculptures
Photography
Mixed Media
This is set to be a really interesting topic to explore using The Arts and tiny tots right through to adults will find something they can connect with here! There might also be some interest in building a model (perhaps the Beagle) or diorama - this is always a firm favourite for diving deeper into the details of a topic!
EXPLORE
Usually we're out and about exploring the outdoors (and that will definitely factor into our list of things to do), but we'd also like to explore some other fabulous places and resources for this special day...here they are...
A Natural History or Science Museum (don't worry if you don't have one nearby - there are loads of virtual field trip options available online)!
The Darwin Day website is chock-a-block full of fabulous resources that will have you diving down rabbit holes for months to come. Hot tip: the Educate section is where all the action is!
BrainPop has some fabulous interactive science lessons (downside, you have to sign up - but the up side is that BrainPop's bank of lessons and resources is always growing and are heaps of fun).
Conducting science experiments - what kind of science-loving day would be complete without some hands-on fun! We found some great resources using a quick search online and TPT has loads of expertly curated scientific fun for all ages with teacher-created supporting resources.
REFLECT
We usually note how we'll reflect or keep records of all the action in this part of Friday Fun...but this week we'll be doing something a little different. We've been exploring survival recently and so we've decided to plan and 'enjoy' a Phylum Feast. Wondering what this is? Well, we were too until we looked into it a little further. As a nod to Darwin and his zany antics we will have a potluck dinner in which all of the dishes are as biodiverse as possible (the teen is keen as mustard to try insects...apparently they're an excellent source of protein...I'm not so sure about it all...but hey, what better excuse for him to try something weird and wonderful than Darwin Day!) Over this potluck dinner, we will discuss all of the wonderful things we've already learned, and what rabbit hole is next on our list - I hope the menu doesn't get too weird!
Ten Books We Think You Should Add to Your Library
A perfect introduction to evolution for both young and old; it tells the story of our human family tree, the roots reaching back millions of years to the beginning of the Earth.
Exploring our relatives from both sea and land; this family album helps us to discover what we inherited from each of our ancestors along the many steps of our wonderous past.
Beautiful illustrations, a timeline and glossary make it super easy to explore the story of human evolution with even the littlest members of your family.
One of the absolutely stunning Annabelle & Aiden series - exploring Darwinian evolution through a delightfully illustrated rhyming book.
Annabelle asks, "Why do we look, the way that we do? With hands and feet, in neat sets of two? What made my eyes? And what made my nose? And the shape of my body, from my head to my toes?"
A wise owl answers by leading the characters on an incredible journey as they visit outer space, watch the Earth go through its earliest stages, and gaze in wonder at the earliest forms of life.
This absolutely gorgeous tome will have kids enthralled for hours on end; it is literally bursting at the seams with fascinating facts, clever connections, and engaging explanations.
Amazing Evolution explores the incredible ways that evolution works; dealing with random, unlikely events, and vast lengths of time too enormous to comprehend, in a way that breaks this difficult idea into manageable and engaging snippets that will have you craving more!
It explores the incredible ways that evolution works, starting with the beginnings of life, all the way up to us, now! Learn what makes a fish a fish, a bird a bird, and what makes some superstar creatures so special.
Ever wonder where humans came from? What our story is?
This gorgeous Annabelle & Aiden tale, walks us through our first steps in Africa right across the globe; as we encounter the strangest human (and non-human) creatures throughout history.
From learning to cook, expressing ourselves, farming and building empires, to falling in love and scientific revolution - the story of who we are is laid out in a simple, relatable format that shows us all as children of 'Lucy'.
Delving into our human evolution and history has never been so fun!
This is like wandering through an extensive gallery or museum, and the best part is, there is no opening or closing times and you don't have to fight the crowds to get a great view or linger on your favourite exhibit!
Each chapter features key species from a particular geological era and the gorgeous illustrations will have you poring over pages for hours on end!
There are curated exhibits on every page, accompanied by short pieces of informative text that are just as engaging - carefully selected intros BIG and bold that make you want to dive deeper and beautifully summarised factual information that will leave your little scientists well equipped for future explorations!
Thirteen case studies step you back through time to discover a world where whales once walked, crocodiles were warm-blooded, and snakes had legs! Explore how those whales came to walk off into the oceans, how dinosaurs evolved into birds; and how the first cats were tiny tree-dwellers!
The combination of annotated illustrations, illustrated scenes, and family trees makes this book an interesting and accessible scientific companion.
A guide to walk readers through the key aspects of the human story; from anatomical changes (allowing us to walk upright and increased brain size in our ancestors), to how our culture and way of living has evolved
An ideal companion for young readers providing a more in-depth look into human evolution through beautiful illustrations and information delivered in easily digestible chunks.
One Day a Dot is another gorgeous picture book that everyone can get something out of. It explores the age-old questions: Where did we and everything else come from?
The creators of this book cleverly use the visual motif of circles to guide young readers through the stages of life on Earth.
Starting with one tiny dot, continuing through the Big Bang and on to the rise of human societies, the story of our universe is told simply and vividly - making our evolution as a species relatable for even the youngest readers.
Ever wanted to explore Charles Darwin's revolutionary scientific book explaining evolution but felt it might be in the 'too hard' basket (especially with kids in tow!)? Well now's your chance to explore the wonder of this classic in a stylish picture-book format that is accessible, even for the youngest readers! (We're really excited about this one...can you tell!?)
Sabina Radeva's delightfully illustrated and easy to understand, retelling of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species brings his ground-breaking and controversial explanation of how species form, develop and change over hundreds of thousands of years to the youngest generations - and it is just as relevant and important now as it ever was!
An exciting and dramatic story about how life began and developed on Planet Earth, written especially for younger children.
Using delightful illustrations the authors explain how the first living cell was created, and how the cells multiply and create jellyfish and worms, right through to the story of the dinosaurs, and then onto the rise of humans.
All information in the book has been carefully researched and checked, includes a healthy dose of humour and is truly one of the most accessible ways to enter study into human evolution.
FREEBIES!
Looking for something motivational and educational to pop on your wall or desktop? Then download our Darwin Day poster and learn from the man himself!
Learning about classification? Then download our Biological Classification Prompt Chart to help you sort your phylum from your genus!
We hope that this has given you lots of fun ways to celebrate Darwin Day and get you excited about science, history and has given you a passion to learn more! Friday Fun at The Hub is all about connecting homeschoolers with fun learning experiences that enrich every homeschool; and providing families with fabulous freebies to support learning, playing and growing at home!
If you've got some suggestions for other great ideas or would like to share your adventures, please visit our private group on Facebook - Little Sprouts Homeschooling and join a community of homeschoolers just like you!
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