The spawn have been taking a weekly science class up on 181st at a place called Storefront Science. There are live animals to watch and sometimes hold (when certain chronic-homeschoolers aren't hogging), and specimens, and a brilliant teacher (Dr. Ardizzone). They've learned the five kingdom classifications of organisms (Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia). They have met "Mrs. Gren" -- a device to remember the seven activities of living things (movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion (my kids were stoked to tell me about that one), and nutrition). Today they watched the dissection of a sponge (apparently it eats, breaths, and excretes from the same hole -- also stoked to share this with me), and learned about a microscope before using it to view slices of the sponge. Next week the focus is worms, as they move along through more complex animals. Dr. A is such an efficient teacher, and the class so small, that I feel like the male specimen and the female specimen have learned more science in the past couple of weeks then they did during a few years in public school.
And they've been rollerskating.
Inquiry: if rollerskates are being left behind for rollerblades, and cursive for keyboarding, what's the "upgrade" for authentic curiosity driven by Science? Test prep?
