On the Smoke Trail

On the Smoke Trail

You will need: A candle, matches.

When we light a candle, the gas from the melting wax at the top of the candle rises to combine with the oxygen in the air and to give us a flame.

We can make the flame leap down instead of up in another way. First light the candle. Then blow it out and immediately hold a lighted match, in readiness, just above the top of the stream of smoke. This flame will leap backward down the gas in the smoke and ignite the wick again.

Children learn best through doing

Before children can understand a thing, they need experience: seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, smelling; choosing, arranging, putting things together, taking things apart. Experimenting with real things.

Old-time school teaching used only words and the teachers thought children knew something if they could repeat it. Now we know better. To reach practical understanding we do not need to use many words with young children.

Children are clever. They learn a lot, without being taught. The greatest skill - to be able to talk, to communicate is learnt outside school. In the classroom it's the children who need to talk the most. Unfortunately it is the teacher who does most of the talking!