Our students in primary school are currently learning science through the study of the natural world. We are all familiar with young boys who can name and classify every variety of insect or dinosaur about which they have read, or young girls who have carefully and meticulously cultivated their flowerbeds for maximum bloom or known every breed of kitten which they plan to ask for at Christmas time. Perhaps your child has witnessed the start of a new life cycle by watching a mother bird build a nest and raise her fledglings in the springtime. Our science program for our youngest age group focuses on inspiring young children to look with awe and wonder at the natural world and to begin to understand the beauty and truth of God's creation. Primary school students have a particular aptitude and desire to cultivate the skill of observation which is an integral part of mastering natural philosophy at the highest levels of academia. Unfortunately, many students reach their collegiate years without every having developed this scientific acumen. At TCA, we seek to ensure that students attain this skill so that they have the opportunity to pursue a vocation in the sciences, but more importantly, so that they grow an edifying, flourishing, and life-long love of science, engineering, and technology that seeks to glorify God. During January and February this year, our students studied seasons in order to understand why we have cold winters, crisp falls, and bright warm summers. Currently, we are raising seeds to study the life cycles of plants and what they provide to our ecosystems and food supplies. This study has been accompanied by a recitation of The Garden Year, by Sarah Coleridge:
January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.
March brings breezes, loud and shrill,
To stir the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daisies at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs
Skipping by their fleecy dams.
June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children's hands with posies.
Hot July brings cooling showers,
Apricots, and gillyflowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.
Warm September brings the fruit;
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
Fresh October brings the pheasant;
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast;
Then the leaves are whirling fast.
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.
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