Young Scientist

Today Jackie was a forensic scientist! 

We started a once a week (for 4 weeks) science class for 3-5 year olds at the Reuben H Fleet Science center in Balboa Park.  For this session, the theme is careers in science; so today was Forensic Science. How did they do a forensic science class for preschoolers, you ask?  Fairly well actually.  First, the classroom where they have the class is beautiful and clean and organized and interesting.  One can only hope to go to a school with such a room (in public school anyway).  We started with free play time with some science type toys.  Then the teacher read a story about a theft of a necklace at a dinner party and the dinner guests finding clues to figure out who was the thief.  Then she presented us with the crime we would be solving, theft of girl scout cookies off her desk, and the clues/evidence left behind - dirt, white powdery substance, hair, teeth marks on a cookie, a handwritten note, fingerprints.  Then we went around to different stations doing forensic type experiments related to these clues.  She was given a magnifying glass and a notebook to write her findings in.  Much of it was very over her head and would be for first graders even, I think.  But still, she did enjoy it and I think it's good to foster this type of inquisitive nature at a young age (even though I'm a total sucker and if I spent the time researching and creating, I could come up with these type of activities on my own instead of shelling out $ to go take a class).   It's parent participation, for obvious reasons.  She used iodine, vinegar and indicator on 4 samples of white powder in order to determine that the one left at the scene was chalk.  We took ph samples of various soil types to determine which kind was at the scene.  We played around taking figure prints and looking at the patterns.  We looked at different hair samples under a microscope.  We bit into styrofoam to look at our teeth marks.  Basically, we had fun.  But in the end, Jackie was still wondering when we were going to find the cookies?  Ha ha.

Our teacher dismissed us to go play in the museum .... where Jackie continued to look for cookie crumbs using her magnifying glass, silly girl.  I didn't take any pictures during school because we were busy.  So I just snapped a few of her trying out different exhibits at the museum.

We were at class and museum time for 2 1/2 hours and she's still excited about going back next week to be a Marine Biologist.