It’s hard to believe, but in another month most of us will send our children back to school. Homeschoolers may be trying out new curriculum. Among the various subjects covered, science will have an impact—perhaps more so than most of the other subjects our children will study.
Why? Because science touches our children’s worldviews from their earliest days. If we do not prepare our children to learn good science—through the use of biblically based science instruction—then we run the risk of abdicating our children’s science education to an evolutionary worldview.
Most of us will choose from three educational tracts: public school, Christian/private school, or homeschool. Regardless of the educational method, we face a variety of choices in preparing our children for science education in the upcoming year.
If your child is attending public school this year, you have a large task before you. Recognition, preparation, and response are the primary considerations here. First, you must recognize and expect that your child will be inundated with evolutionary teaching, even from the earliest grades. Prepare your children before they are exposed to secular science materials—warn them about the false teachings they will encounter in textbooks, science websites, or field trips to the local zoo or natural history museum.
Be cognizant of what the educational system teaches. Many elementary teachers will tell you that they do not teach evolution at a young age, but they do. They may not be lying to you—some of the teachers are simply unaware that the concepts they teach are rooted in evolutionary thought.
Lastly, teach your children how to respond to evolutionary information. Have a frank conversation with the teacher at the beginning of the school year. Let the teacher know that your child may respond to class lessons based upon your teachings at home, but that your child understands that the school utilizes state-mandated curriculum containing evolutionary theories. My own children have been instructed to respond to test questions in the following manner: Acknowledge the required school textbook answers, but also write in the correct biblical answers that they learn at home.
If your children are attending a Christian school this year, they have the advantage of biblical instruction. However, parents still need to be aware that in many Christian schools, teachers are oftentimes limited to using secular textbooks due to their availability. You still need to be aware of the information your child may read, see, or be exposed to—request a copy of the school’s science standards and ask to preview the science textbooks. But be sure not to let evolutionary teachings slip by unchallenged.
If your child is homeschooled, you have the greatest opportunity to lay a truly biblical foundation in science. As the parent and teacher, you have the advantage of choosing your child’s curricula. When preparing their lessons, lab experiments, and field trips, follow these simple guidelines:1
- Look for the lingo.
- Review thoroughly.
- Choose biblical, not Christian.
- Keep science in its place.
- Teach tough issues, but honor the Creator.
- Avoid evolutionary ideas.
- Select biblical ideas.
Teaching science allows parents to challenge our children’s thinking and to explore the world around them. It is also a great opportunity to secure our children’s understanding of God as the Creator. As parents, we have the responsibility to make an investment through setting a biblical foundation for our children as they study the world God made.
Reference
- See also Forlow, R. 2012. Science Resources for the Homeschool. Acts & Facts. 41 (4): 19.
* Dr. Forlow is Education Specialist at the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: Forlow, R. 2012. How Science Class Will Impact Your Child This Year. Acts & Facts. 41 (7): 19.
