Warning: Remembering Krishna via His fascinating material nature can be addicting. By appreciating Krishna's orderly universe and artistry everywhere and learning interesting and amazing facts about Krishna’s external energy, nature study gives many ways to feel completely in awe of Krishna's external energy as well as humbled. But then, what to speak of actually meeting that Yogesvara behind it all, the most Beautiful Supreme Lord Himself? That thought makes it all seem very ingnificant if there is no relationship with Krsna, no quest for self realization foremost.
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FOUR MAIN DIVISIONS found in typical science texts today:
SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS
the meaning of the word "science"
what is actual science and what is mayayaparhrta jnana
methods for gaining knowledge- ascending and descending process
the brahmana vs the scientist
LIFE SCIENCE(superior prakrti)
plant life
animal life
human life
EARTH SCIENCE
mother earth and the universe
creation, maintenance, destruction
astronomy
PHYSICAL SCIENCE (inferior prakrti)
matter and natural laws
chemistry
physics - machines, electric, energy...
problems with technology
MAKE IT PRACTICAL: Why should I know this? Why should anyone know this? How is it useful for my service or in my life?
LOOK FOR USEFUL KNOWLEDGE AND VOCABULARY Choose from words everyone needs to know these day such as cranium, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, mutation, migration, erosion...or to understand the scientific speculative process- when we use it (such as experimenting with a recipe) and when we don't (vs finding out something the hard way). Srila Prabhupada refers to the scientific process and other topics for the purpose of preaching Krishna consciousness, so a lot of words may be found during regular reading of sastra. Furthermore, learning about the human body and its maintenance, information about plants and plant care, identification of useful and harmful plants and insects, the basics of weather predicting, animal care, basic machines,energy uses and so on are all useful information to aid one's devotional service.
ENHANCING LESSONS WITH KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS
These questions may be asked to bring out a Krsna conscious perspective: How is this related to Krsna? What is the Vedic viewpoint? For example, while talking about pollution, you could tell the story of Taraka polluting the countryside up to Lord Rama's arrival there. Or the story of Kaliya polluting the Yamuna.
Or let's say you are looking at rocks. Rock formation and changes such as weathering, erosion, volcanic eruptions and so on demonstrate that the material energy is constantly changing. "The rock cycle" is another of Lord Vishnu's maintenance features. Rocks as well as precious stones may be used in devotional service.
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES could include:
TREES
Fun videos found on YouTube.com:
Carrot tops
Green Hair Grow wheat grass or grass seed in a cup with a face drawn on it.
TESTING SEEDS FOR STARCH
1. soak seeds, remove skins
2. cut seed in half
3. put a drop of iodine on each half. Change of color indicates starch is present
GROW A POTATO
Or cut a piece of potatoe that has an eye that's sprouted. Put in a cup with soil. Add water. Here's more info for best results.
TESTING FOR FAT-
Rub a piece of food on a piece of paper bag. Let it dry. If a spot remains, the food contains fat.
BIRDS
ANIMAL HOMES
Look for animal homes- wasp nest, spider web, ant hill, bird nest under leaves, under a rock, galls on leaves, in the sand, in a compost pile, in a hole...
CRICKETS
Count the chirps for a cricket thermometer.
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
.
.
MICROBES
Grow bacteria in a sterile petri dish with agar agar. Sterile petri dishes are available in science supply catalogs. Agar agar should be soaked in the liquid first for 10-15 minutes(2 tsps powder or 2 tbsps of flakes agar agar to 1 pint water) and a little sugar for a nutrient (instead of using ready made "nutrient agar" mix that usually contains beef or chicken blood), then gently brought to the boil and simmered while stirring until it dissolves completely. This will take about 5 minutes for powder and 10-15 minutes for flakes. Unlike gelatin, agar agar can be boiled and can even be re-melted if necessary.
Next, swab a door knob, light switch, keyboard, toilet or other public item with a sterile cotton swab. Swab the culture onto the petri dish and cover. Tape it shut. Let sit a couple days undisturbed and out of direct sunlight. Here's more information on how to do it, safety precautions and what to expect:
demonstrate the sense of smell (olfaction), collect several items that have distinctive smells such as:
lemon, orange peel, cedar wood, perfume soaked cotton, banana, pine needles, carob, soil, vanilla, hing, mint, rose flowers, saw dust (non treated), ginger, peppermint, pencil shavings
Keep the items separated so that the odors do not mix. Put a blindfold on a studeny and ask the student to:
1. Identify the item by smell.
2. Rate the odor (strong, pleasant, neutral, [bad or good for young kids])
3. Tell about any memories associated with the smells.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chsmell.html
Shine a light to watch them dilate like a camera lens.
Use a container with a handle such as a child bucket. Fill partway with water. Tie a cord onto the handle to spin the container of water around overhead. Why does the water remain in the bucket? Here's another example.
SOIL
How to make a compass: Magnetize a needle by rubbing one way along a strong magnet (Check the needle with a magnet before you start, as sewing pins are often made of brass, not steel. ). Attach the pin to a cork and let it float in a bowl of water. The pin will consistently point north, drawn by the magnetic north pole.
Make a simple rain guage. Mark a cup with measurements.
WEATHER AND CLOUDS
Make a windvane to show wind direction. On heavy cardboard place clay with a cup attached upside down and a pencil going through a hole made in the bottom of the cup. On the top of the eraser (pencil is pointing downward through cup ) stick a pin goring through a straw with two paper arrows attached between slits made on the ends of the straw. Use a compass to mark directions outside.
SUN
Make a sundial. to tell time with.
LIGHT Old CD discs make great light prisms!
SOUND- Make a cup and yarn telephone (be sure to pull yarn taunt
Sound vibration: Attach a string to a ping pong ball and let hang suspended in the air. Touch the idle ball with a tuning fork. Next, tap the tuning fork firmly upon a hard surface to create a vibration. Now touch it to the ping pong ball and note the difference.
HEAT
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD PRINTABLE
DATE:
TIME:
PLACE:
WHAT I OBSERVED: (OBSERVATION)
WHAT I WONDER: (QUESTION)
WHAT I THINK: (HYPOTHESIS
WHAT I DID: (PROCEDURE)
WHAT HAPPENED: (RESULTS)
WHAT I LEARNED: (CONCLUSION)
GOT A QUESTION
Real science is not speculative, but goes to an expert for answers. Whenever a question pops up, find the answer. Science is about gaining factual knowledge from a qualified teacher.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Suppose I take this grass. I can write volumes of books—when it came into existence, when it died, what the fibers are, what the molecules are. In so many ways I can describe this insignificant foliage. But what is the use of it?
Dr. Benford: If it has no use, why did God put it there? Isn’t it worthwhile studying?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Our point is that you would rather study the insignificant grass than the God who has created everything. If you could understand Him, then automatically you would understand the grass. But you want to separate His grass from Him, to study it separately. In this way you can compile volumes and volumes on the subject; but why waste your intelligence in that way? The branch of a tree is beautiful as long as it is attached to the main trunk, but as soon as you cut it off it will dry up. Therefore, what is the use of studying the dried-up branch? It is a waste of intelligence.
:FOUR MAIN DIVISIONS found in typical science texts today:
SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS
the meaning of the word "science"
what is actual science and what is mayayaparhrta jnana
methods for gaining knowledge- ascending and descending process
the brahmana vs the scientist
LIFE SCIENCE(superior prakrti)
plant life
animal life
human life
EARTH SCIENCE
mother earth and the universe
creation, maintenance, destruction
astronomy
PHYSICAL SCIENCE (inferior prakrti)
matter and natural laws
chemistry
physics - machines, electric, energy...
problems with technology
MAKE IT PRACTICAL: Why should I know this? Why should anyone know this? How is it useful for my service or in my life?
LOOK FOR USEFUL KNOWLEDGE AND VOCABULARY Choose from words everyone needs to know these day such as cranium, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, mutation, migration, erosion...or to understand the scientific speculative process- when we use it (such as experimenting with a recipe) and when we don't (vs finding out something the hard way). Srila Prabhupada refers to the scientific process and other topics for the purpose of preaching Krishna consciousness, so a lot of words may be found during regular reading of sastra. Furthermore, learning about the human body and its maintenance, information about plants and plant care, identification of useful and harmful plants and insects, the basics of weather predicting, animal care, basic machines,energy uses and so on are all useful information to aid one's devotional service.
ENHANCING LESSONS WITH KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS
These questions may be asked to bring out a Krsna conscious perspective: How is this related to Krsna? What is the Vedic viewpoint? For example, while talking about pollution, you could tell the story of Taraka polluting the countryside up to Lord Rama's arrival there. Or the story of Kaliya polluting the Yamuna.
Or let's say you are looking at rocks. Rock formation and changes such as weathering, erosion, volcanic eruptions and so on demonstrate that the material energy is constantly changing. "The rock cycle" is another of Lord Vishnu's maintenance features. Rocks as well as precious stones may be used in devotional service.
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES could include:
Looking at pictures of precious stones and their uses.
Asking a questions about lapis lazuli and finding the answer
Hearing the story of the carving of Nrsimhadeva deity in Mayapur.
Today there are ready made kits to use or video demonstrations to watch that save time. as well illustrated library books available (not just for kids). What to speak of the many topics explored on the Internet with corresponding activities that are easy to execute, requiring only simple items from around the house. Here's some examples:Asking a questions about lapis lazuli and finding the answer
Hearing the story of the carving of Nrsimhadeva deity in Mayapur.
TREES
- Count tree rings on a stump to figure out how old the tree was.
- Identify trees in your back yard. Which trees are the most useful?
- Demonstrate transpiration
- Soak some beans in water and allow them to sprout. See the baby plant curled up inside. The rest is filled with food for the plant to survive on in early stages or to be eaten by others.
- Grow mustard seed sprouts on a sponge. Cover the dish every night with plastic wrap to keep moist and uncover during the day. Keep moist with a spray bottle. After plants sprout, put in a sunny window to green them up a bit before using. Sprouts show that a plant does not need soil for nutrients in the beginning. Or grow them in a pot or garden.
- Plant bulbs
- Propagate new plants from leaf cuttings. A good plant to do this with is a coleus.
- Look for new leaf buds in the early spring.
- See how plants take in water and nutrients. Place a celery sticks or white carnation into a glass of colored water
- Learn about wild edible plants but be careful- only the ones you are sure of such as dandelion leaves, blackberries, or those recognized by an someone already familiar with a plant. Also make sure no pesticides were used in the area.
- Look for the fiddleheads of new ferns.
- Look for mosses and lichen.
Fun videos found on YouTube.com:
Green Hair Grow wheat grass or grass seed in a cup with a face drawn on it.
TESTING SEEDS FOR STARCH
1. soak seeds, remove skins
2. cut seed in half
3. put a drop of iodine on each half. Change of color indicates starch is present
GROW A POTATO
Or cut a piece of potatoe that has an eye that's sprouted. Put in a cup with soil. Add water. Here's more info for best results.
TESTING FOR FAT-
Rub a piece of food on a piece of paper bag. Let it dry. If a spot remains, the food contains fat.
BIRDS
- Listen to different bird song files on the Internet. Also on video.
- Use a hand lens to examine hooks on bird feathers.
- Set up a bird bath and bird feeders.
- Get photos of new visitors and use the net for bird ID.
ANIMAL HOMES
Look for animal homes- wasp nest, spider web, ant hill, bird nest under leaves, under a rock, galls on leaves, in the sand, in a compost pile, in a hole...
CRICKETS
Count the chirps for a cricket thermometer.
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS
- Note the similarities and differences between butterflies and moths.
- Raise butterflies. Look for Angelica, Parsley and Queen Anne's Lace in late spring for caterpillars. Keep in a vase and replace fresh plants as caterpillars grow.
.
.
MICROBES
Grow bacteria in a sterile petri dish with agar agar. Sterile petri dishes are available in science supply catalogs. Agar agar should be soaked in the liquid first for 10-15 minutes(2 tsps powder or 2 tbsps of flakes agar agar to 1 pint water) and a little sugar for a nutrient (instead of using ready made "nutrient agar" mix that usually contains beef or chicken blood), then gently brought to the boil and simmered while stirring until it dissolves completely. This will take about 5 minutes for powder and 10-15 minutes for flakes. Unlike gelatin, agar agar can be boiled and can even be re-melted if necessary.
Then pour it into the dishes. Let cool about 30 minutes. If you are unsure as to the setting ability of your gel, test a small amount on a cold saucer - it should set in 20-30 seconds, if not you may need more agar agar, if too firm - add some more liquid.
Next, swab a door knob, light switch, keyboard, toilet or other public item with a sterile cotton swab. Swab the culture onto the petri dish and cover. Tape it shut. Let sit a couple days undisturbed and out of direct sunlight. Here's more information on how to do it, safety precautions and what to expect:
THE SMELLING GAME AND MORE
We can recognized a wide variety of smells. Some smells can stir up memories. Todemonstrate the sense of smell (olfaction), collect several items that have distinctive smells such as:
lemon, orange peel, cedar wood, perfume soaked cotton, banana, pine needles, carob, soil, vanilla, hing, mint, rose flowers, saw dust (non treated), ginger, peppermint, pencil shavings
Keep the items separated so that the odors do not mix. Put a blindfold on a studeny and ask the student to:
1. Identify the item by smell.
2. Rate the odor (strong, pleasant, neutral, [bad or good for young kids])
3. Tell about any memories associated with the smells.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chsmell.html
SKIN
- A cut is an opportunity to talk about the marvels of a cut healing. Krsna fixes it! Photos may be taken day by day.
- To demonstrate the use of antiseptics: Use two small apples or pears to show what happens when you get a cut and don’t clean it and when you do. Scrape one apple with sandpaper with dirt on it and scrape the other the same way. Wash and put antiseptic and a bandaid on one apple, do nothing for the other and check them in a few days to compare.
Shine a light to watch them dilate like a camera lens.
VOCABULARY WORD JOKE
Tell a child his epidermis is showing.
CHANGING BODIES
Look at family photos of various ages.
SWEAT COOLS THE BODY
Which feels cooler? Blowing on wet fingers or dry fingers?
BODY HEAT is 98.6 steadily despite outward heat or cold.
Use a container with a handle such as a child bucket. Fill partway with water. Tie a cord onto the handle to spin the container of water around overhead. Why does the water remain in the bucket? Here's another example.
SOIL
- Take soil samples from several areas and compare.
- Sift soil in a sifter.
- Make compost. The microorganisms in the soil help break down substances to create soil nutrients
- Make your own potting soil.
- Run a powerful magnet over dirt or sand to collect iron ore
How to make a compass: Magnetize a needle by rubbing one way along a strong magnet (Check the needle with a magnet before you start, as sewing pins are often made of brass, not steel. ). Attach the pin to a cork and let it float in a bowl of water. The pin will consistently point north, drawn by the magnetic north pole.
ROCKS AND MINERALS
- Use a crystal growing kit or use liquid blueing and charcoal briquettes.
- Look at a rock collection. Memorize the names.
- Scrape a limestone to loosen some grains, then drop some vinegar on it to tell what happens and why
- Mix pebbles, coarse sand, soil and water together in a plastic, covered jar. Shake it and let it settle into sedimentary layers.
- Find examples of lichens and mosses outdoors. What do they do to rock? Why are they important.
- Make use of a rock tumbler (warning- they can be annoyingly loud).
- Find examples of stone, granite, marble and cement used in buildings, walls, around the house and so on. Desing a temple using these materials.
- Collect a jar of sea water and allow it to evaporate.
- Sample some storebought seaweed.
- Explore a tide pool.
- Mark the high and low tides.
- While visiting a pond, look for wildlife.
- Examine a drop of pond water.
- Also on video.
Make a simple rain guage. Mark a cup with measurements.
WEATHER AND CLOUDS
- Observe frost formations.
- Demonstrate evaporation.
- Create a cloud with boiling water and a covered pot or heat up a pot and toss a little water inside.
- Slice a hailstone in half to see its layers.
- Demonstrate condensation on the outside of a cup filled with icewater on a hot day.
- Make a homemade barometer.
- Air resistance demonstration: Push a cup, lip downward, straight down into a sink full of water. No water will enter the cup due to the pushing of air inside the cup.
- Air pressure demonstration: Heat a little water in a soda can over double boiler. Plug the can's opening with clay. Immerse the can into cold water with tongs. The can will collapse.
- Blow bubbles into liquid with a straw. Air does not mix.
Make a windvane to show wind direction. On heavy cardboard place clay with a cup attached upside down and a pencil going through a hole made in the bottom of the cup. On the top of the eraser (pencil is pointing downward through cup ) stick a pin goring through a straw with two paper arrows attached between slits made on the ends of the straw. Use a compass to mark directions outside.
STARS
Spend some time stargazing. Country is best for a sharp view.SUN
Make a sundial. to tell time with.
MOON PHASE FLIP BOOK
- First go to http://www.almanac.com/astronomy/moon/index.php Print at least 3 months worth of moon pics.
- Cut these apart and glue them, one on each page, to the right edge of
- a small notebook or other pad of paper. The binding will thus be on
- the left side when you flip it. Choose a small notebook or pad of
- paper that allows a good grip and is about 100 pages. I chose the back pages of an old pocket sized daily calendar.
- If you do not fill the majority of pages, it helps to leave the first 15 pages or so blank to gain momentum while flipping before flipping to the actual moon pics.
- You may also want to draw a faint pencil mark perpendicular to the
- right exterior edges of the pages in order to fairly line up the
- pictures on each page with each other when you attach them.
- Make sure the pages don't stick together and for best results allow
- the book to dry thoroughly before using.
- Water as energy- pour water over sand and small rocks on a tilted plate to push off
- or Soak a pot with cooked on food for a couple hours. Observe.
- Frozen water expands. Fill a milk carton half way with water. Mark the water level and then freeze.
- Erosion - grow wheat grass and pour water over the soil. How does the grass prevent erosion?
- Displacement- Fill a cup part of the way. Add rocks while the water rises
- Saturation- how much water can a washcloth or sponge hold?
- Holey water- water has space. Fill a cup to the brim with water. Keep adding powdered sugar, the water won’t overflow. It just fills up empty space between the water molecules.
- Water level- Water in a cup is level with the ground and even if you turn the cup at an angle, the water level stays parallel to the ground. An that’s how a level works!
- Float or sink? compare a flat spread out piece of clay to a ball of clay
- Sprinkle sand on an ice cube. Sprinkle salt on another. Which melts first? Which freezes first, salt water or plain water?
Sound vibration: Attach a string to a ping pong ball and let hang suspended in the air. Touch the idle ball with a tuning fork. Next, tap the tuning fork firmly upon a hard surface to create a vibration. Now touch it to the ping pong ball and note the difference.
HEAT
- Conduction.- Place a metal spoon and wooden spoon in a heated pan with little ghee on the back of each.
- Hot Air Rising -To demonstrate heat rising you need a lamp and strip of paper cut into a spiral. Hang the spiral from a piece of string and hold above the hot lamp. Watch it twirl!
- Friction - Rub hands together
- Measure heat- Place a thermometer on dark paper and one on white paper set out in direct sunlight. Which had a higher temperature?
- Note the difference in temperature in a sunny place and a shaded area.
- Start a fire with a magnifying or with sticks.
ELECTRICITY
- Static electricity- rub balloon on hair and hold over a plate sprinkled with pepper
- Miniature lightning- - rub a piece of wool until charged and touch a metal handle in a darkened room. Or make static electric with blankets on a winter night.
- Make a crystal radio with a kit
- Inclined plane- Walk up some steps. Then step up the same distance without steps. Which was easier? Why?
- Wedge- try to put a dull pencil through your hair bun. Try to put a sharpened pencil through. Which is easier? Why?
- Make a model of an old fashioned plow
- Make a motor- use Popular Mechanics for Kids “Motor Works”
GEARS Use bottle caps for gears;
LENS - Make a water lens- draw a small circle with a crayon onto a piece of glass (from picture frame....) Fill space with water from an eye dropper. Use as a magnifying lens.
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD PRINTABLE
DATE:
TIME:
PLACE:
WHAT I OBSERVED: (OBSERVATION)
WHAT I WONDER: (QUESTION)
WHAT I THINK: (HYPOTHESIS
WHAT I DID: (PROCEDURE)
WHAT HAPPENED: (RESULTS)
WHAT I LEARNED: (CONCLUSION)
GOT A QUESTION
Real science is not speculative, but goes to an expert for answers. Whenever a question pops up, find the answer. Science is about gaining factual knowledge from a qualified teacher.
