To do science, kids don’t need lab coats or test tubes; they need a burning question.

In the beginning of the school year, I spoke with a parent of a child in our nursery class. She excitedly asked me “When are you going to start doing experiments with the kids?”  She described her son’s recent obsession with creating kitchen concoctions and leaving them in the refrigerator with explicit directions not to throw out his “experiments.”  She seemed hopeful that we would soon explore exciting reactions, things that fizz and change color, as well as more methodical approaches to his mixing madness.

We will do all of these things in time.  Mostly, because I now know that he’s interested in them.  But not because they are the most essential part of conducting experiments.  Meaningful experimentation requires one main ingredient–a downright thirsty need to know more.  Fancy equipment and potentially explosive reactions may be useful tools, but they are only a means to an end.  To help yourself or your child really think scientifically, spend time talking about what you’d like to understand better, what would make your daily life easier, or what information you think might be helpful to others.

Experiments can take shape in unlikely ways.  I now proudly consider myself an amateur canine poop researcher.  When our dog first came to us, he came with a lot of diarrhea.  My husband and I systematically tested different brands of dog food until we had exhausted all of the healthy and expensive options.  Upon hearing evidence from a friend about a more economical candidate, we gave it a go and finally learned that our dog does best with a cheap, high carb feed. When we shared this with our vet, she cooed, “Ooooh, Blue…you like McDonald’s?  That’s alright buddy.”

The point here is that our family had a burning and immediate question to answer.  We were highly motivated to conduct an experiment.  We worked our way through all of the core components of scientific experimentation with nary an NIH grant in sight.  We observed fecal matter at least twice a day.  We hypothesized that diet was the culprit.  We shared data within our research group (human friends at the dog park).  We isolated variables by removing treats from the repertoire. We analyzed the results and drew conclusions about what to do next.  This was science thinking in action, albeit with an extremely small sample size, but science nonetheless.

Adults and children engage in personally relevant scientific thinking all the time.  However, very few consider themselves scientists.  Many have compartmentalized the world of research to those in labs, wielding microscopes and pipettes.  Others think of science as content, a book of facts ready to be memorized.  Both of these viewpoints fail to engage the human spirit of what it means to wonder. At its heart, science is a dynamic process that only works when people are genuinely interested in knowing more.

When I reflect on my conversation with the mother of a four year old who was hell bent on protecting his refrigerated experiments, I feel encouraged by her support for his enthusiasm.  I assured her that his research was legitimate and completely appropriate.  In time, we will work with him to develop the skills and practices associated with formal experimentation, but for now, and always, the most important ingredient for his growth as an astute scientific thinker is fostering the unquenchable desire to find out what happens next.

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