Colin Purrington is both an associate professor of biology at Swarthmore College and a one-man force for revealing the fun, wacky, irresistible side of evolution. He's a national treasure.I love his blog, Axis of Evo (subtitled "Silly projects that might increase acceptance of evolution"), and while I know this is bad form for bloggers, I just have to re-post here something he wrote yesterday. It's just so exactly right:
"I view creation stories as a critical part of how religions transmit themselves to the next generation. Creation myths that appealed only to adults wouldn’t last long, I think. ... This underscores the need to teach science to really young kids, since that is the age when kids are actually interested in where rocks, plants, and humans come from. Even if the details are a tad too complex for the youngins, teaching kids that the scientific process can help us find real answers is a good goal for elementary science lesson plans. Waiting to inject kids with a love of science in middle school is fine, but it’s a bit too late."
Hear, hear! Thanks, Colin.
i think it's great to teach kids the truth from the start, and not give them a sugar coated glossy story. they are super curious at that age, so it's really the right time to take advantage of their mindset.
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