Immersive Approach

We just finished a gauntlet of summer camps: VBS, Science Camp, and two weeks of Faith Camp.  Do you know what they all have in common?  They all use an immersive approach to teaching—one I embrace for any subject.  Most of the time I teach a science class for Co-op; the past few years, I’ve added  Composition or Literature to my Co-op schedule.  I find it helps to saturate the subject. In Science, we do loads and loads of labs and hands-on activities.  I take a topic and hammer it home.  One unit is Acids and Bases.

I introduce Acids and Bases with a red marker for acids and a blue marker for bases.  Why?  Litmus turns red in an acid and blue in a base.  Then I drag out a dozen household chemicals to test with litmus paper, pH paper, and universal indicator solution.  The kids measure pH of all these substances with pH probes.  We calculate pH, and name acids and bases.  This approach helps just about every teen.  Do it, say it, learn it.  It works.  Below are a few instructional videos, another means to help hammer home a topic.