Why use hands-on science instead of a textbook?
If using a textbook means reading about science rather than doing science encountering science as symbols rather than as concrete objects in tangible environments it makes the same amount of sense as learning to play baseball by reading about it or learning to dance by reading about it. You may acquire some stories about someone else’s experiences, ideas, and struggles, but you have none of your own. After any amount of reading you may be able to talk the talk, but you still can’t pitch, hit, and slide, and you most certainly can’t dance. The same is true of science. As a result of decades of experience and research we now know that children learn science best by doing science. At this time the most influential guiding documents representing elementary science education, the AAAS Benchmarks and NRC National Science Education Standards, call for active learning in science. What this means is that students should have hands-on personal experiences with objects, materials, and organisms i
