Strengthen the critical thinking skills of elementary and middle school students by applying scientific principles to everyday items. Create a list of characteristics that define a particular state, such as being alive or an efficient conductor of electricity, and search around the house for items that fit these characteristics. Discuss with the student, for example, whether the mold on cheese is actually alive or if the plumbing pipes make good conductors of electricity. Create a chart afterward that describes the characteristics noted that fit each object into the desired category.
Your homeschooled student researches the origins, historical response and possible implications of a particular subject using newspaper articles, scientific periodicals and government documents. Possible topics include anything that has a variety of viewpoints and information sources such as a controversial issue, a recent discovery or a rapidly changing field like robotics in surgery. The student uses critical thinking by applying stipulated facts and different principles to the subject matter to reach an educated and logical conclusion.
Take your child on a field trip to a local science museum, a zoo or the backyard and ask him to compare and contrast the physical and internal traits of two similar things. For example, students visiting the aquarium compare and contrast a squid and octopus while students looking in their backyards might choose two different types of trees or plants. An older student would determine the differences and similarities using a text book, while a younger student would simply take notes from the exhibit descriptions or physical observations. Finish the project by drawing pictures of each object that highlight the differences and similarities.
Examine the connection between a field trip and the corresponding book or subject the student is currently studying. For instance, if reading a book about the Salem Witch Trials, take a trip to Salem, Mass., or if studying the business of agriculture, arrange a visit to a local commercial farm. Throughout the trip, instruct your child to record observations about the site, such as spacial layout, environment and characteristics of workers. Later that day, sit down and discuss how his observations support or refute materials he previously read on the subject.