Learning with Your Hands

10/22/2015

All doubt, despair and fear become insignificant when the intention of life becomes love.
Jalal Rumi, poet

In the introduction to Hands-On Science and Math: Fun, Fascinating Activities for Young Children, author Beth Davis observes that "...children exposed to hands-on science instruction gain greater subject-matter understanding than students exposed to only book learning or traditional worksheets. When I doubled the amount of hands-on instruction give to the lowest performing student population in an at-risk class at a Florida elementary school, these children showed the highest gains when compared with ten other classes made up of average and above-average students in the same elementary school....

"Mathematical thinking and scientific discovery are great opportunities to develop critical thinking skills in young children. To do this, children must be conscious of the world around them by exploring using their senses: touch, sound, sight, taste, and smell. Activities such as nature walks, visits to a school garden, and hands-on science explorations allow children to touch nature, see bugs, and listen to outdoor sounds."

Scholastic,iRead, Reading Proficiently by Grade 3.

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