Sunday Science/Why Teach Science?

I have had people ask me such questions as:

• You do science experiments?
• What do you think Selena is really learning?
• Why would you let her do that?

I have also heard statements such as:

• She really does know what a hypothesis is.
• She gives good theories.
• She is too young for Science.

So why do I teach science? I feel the most important reason is it is fun! No, really it is! I am able to learn right along with and beside Selena. I know for myself my science was in the form of read, memorize, and just know that it is true. We did very little science experiments, well yes, we did dissect frogs. Oh sure, my dad was great when he took us out into nature to explain things to us, but mostly it was just what he knew, and not really full of science or exploration.
I truly want Selena to see science so much different then I did. I want her to open her mind to how great the world truly is around her. She should be able to ask questions and expect an answer or the opportunity to explore to find an answer. I want her to know that science doesn’t have to be something that some great scientist wrote, so all she has to do is read about him and his experiments and consider that to be all there is to the questions she has in her mind. Man has come along way and while many theories still remain just that theories, there have been many breakthroughs, discoveries, and advances allowing us to know much more then we ever have before about this great planet we call earth, and the vast skies or the solar system with all its planets, moons and stars.
We all hear of the benefits of teaching science, the skills such as the ability to observe, ask questions, compare, contrast, and explore. Yet, I truly believe we give our  children much more then just these skills when we give them science. We open their eyes and minds to endless possibilities which bring out their own personalities and learning curves. Some children do great to read the facts about what a spider is, and they retain that information, meaning they learned well, while other children do better by catching the spider in a jar, observing every aspect about it, comparing it to other bugs they have done the same thing with, and making their own observations as to how a spider grows, eats, and lives.
I truly feel if we observe how our children learn through science we can tone in on their learning curve, apply this to other subjects and really begin to create a learning environment our children will thrive in. I see Selena as being such a hands on learner, in science, math, reading, writing, spelling, geography, and history, but I didn’t understand this learning curve until we really started exploring science the way she wanted to learn science. Science has opened her up to the endless ways she can discover and learn in all areas of her life. We have discovered that if we give her the materials for what ever subject it is, and just let her explore, ask her questions, search for the answers, she truly thrives in her learning.
As an example, with her reading, now that we have studied the basic phonics, and have moved forward to whole words, just presenting Selena with words, that she can explore, study, break apart by syllables, compare to other words she knows, her reading skills are advancing at a very fast clip, in the same sense this has improved her spelling skills, she constantly spells the words that she is able to read. Same with math, if we present her with the materials, a math problem or situation, and allow her to explore, study, break it apart, she then begins to put the small math equations together in her head and begins to formulate the answers. These things start becoming more and more apparent in her play, reading, and general conversation.
We teach Science not only to teach Selena about this great world around her, but to also teach her how to think, explore and learn.
Now it is your turn, Why do you teach science to your young child? What method do you use to teach science, and what do you hope your child gains from science?