Science and art are ideal subjects for young students. Their innate curiosity encourages them to ask questions, look for answers, try new methods and look at things in a new way. The strategy of inquiry comes very naturally to them as they begin to navigate the physical world and learn what it has to tell them. As a teacher of primary-level students, I find it this happening in their daily life, while they are sitting right at their desks – How many ways can I balance a pencil? What happens if I tip this milk carton almost over, will anything spill? What happens when I mix colors together with crayons or watercolors or paint? Why do my glasses make that circle of light on the ceiling?
Simple, but interesting, daily experiments, designs, and curiosities are continuous in a classroom. And why not – they are fun and informative! In this six-week curriculum unit, science students in second grade will experiment with light and how we, as humans, see objects and color. Through a variety of hands-on activities and experiments, the students will learn the fundamentals of the physics of light, the biology of vision, and art as an intersection of the two.
