Environmental Sciences - Studying Nature Through Observation

Environmental science is a multi-discipline subject covering aspects
of physics, chemistry, biology, soil science, geology, geography,
ecology and more. Environmental science can be summarised as the study
of our natural environment and its interactions, including the impact
of humans on that environment. So, how do you study nature? There are
so many topics and subtopics to consider that everyone can usually
identify some aspect of environmental science that is of interest to
them.Let us begin with children - they have a natural curiosity which
should be encouraged along with respect for their environment and
living creatures. There can be a steep learning curve e.g. you pull a
cat's tail often enough and it will scratch you, likewise stick your
hand in a beehive or ants nest and you'll likely be stung or bitten!
Also, children can be cruel by accident - they will gently pick up a
butterfly or ladybird to show you and unfortunately damage its wings
so it then can't fly. So, perhaps teaching children how to study
nature through observation is the way forward. You can learn a lot
about nature by sitting and watching, especially in a garden, park, by
a river or down at the coast. So arm yourself and your kids with a
container and a magnifying lens and off you go on nature walks. Handy
items to take with you are a notepad and pen for making sketches,
writing notes etc of the animals or plants that you see. A nature
study book is useful too, in order to teach children how to use keys
to identify different species.What other equipment may be useful to
help your child discover science and nature? Binoculars are really
useful for identifying birds, spotting nests in trees and looking out
to sea. You can get mini binoculars just perfect for little hands -
they even make them in bright colours, of durable materials and with
lanyards to minimise damage when dropped! Magnifiers are available in
all sorts of shapes and sizes too, from simple handheld magnifying
lenses to containers with magnifying lids and even on to microscopes
for really tiny creatures or looking at plant details. I have even
seen a magnifying lens with a built in audio bug ID - how cool is
that?Observation is great for the initial stages of learning but
eventually children and adults alike will want to carry out some
experiments. Now is when you can teach the importance of caring for
the environment we study - you don't have to kill hundreds of insects
to do identification and you don't have to pull all the flowers off
Grandad's prize roses in order to determine it is a rosebush!There is
an enormous variety of educational kits you can get for children to
discover science suitable for different ages from as young as 4 years
old and covering many aspects of environmental science such as
alternative energy, crystal growing, the physics of flight,
atmospheric studies and volcanoes etc.....have fun learning with your
children and discovery science toys. You never stop learning even as
adults there is always something new to discover about the world we
live in and often children will see things from a different
perspective and make you thing about the environment differently. They
will also challenge you with questions like: Why is the sky blue? What
makes a rainbow? So arm yourself with a good environmental science
book, revisit your school years and have some quality fun time with
your kids.