Seeing Life Through the Eyes of Kids

Beguiling Ideas about Science

The beguiling ideas about science quoted here were collected from essays, exams, and class room discussions; most were from fifth- and sixth-graders.   They illustrate Mark Twain's contention that the "most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop."

• One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second.
• You can listen to thunder after lightening and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it you got hit, so never mind.
• When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
• When people run around and around in circles we say they are crazy. When planets do it we say they are orbiting.
• Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime.
• Many dead animals of the past changed to fossils, others preferred to be oil.
• Vacuums are nothings. We only mention them to let them know we know they're there.
• Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.
• We say the cause of perfume disappearing is evaporation.   Evaporation gets blamed for a lot of things people forget to put the top on.
• I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.
• Cyanide is so poisonous that one drop of it on a dog's tongue will kill the strongest man.
• Thunder is a rich source of loudness.
• Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound.
• It is so hot in some parts of the world that the people there have to live other places.
• Our new teacher told us all about fossils. Before she came to our class, I didn't know what a fossil looked like.
• Pavlov studied the salvation of dogs.
• A molecule is so small that it can't be seen by the naked observer.
• In biology today, we digested a frog.
• To prevent head colds, use an agonizer to spray into your nose until it drops down into your throat.

Return to Kid's View Home

FREE Monthly Newsletters

We publish four FREE monthly newsletters. To subscribe to any or all newsletters, click here: Subscribe to Newsletters

• 1) Inspired Lifestyles News for inspiring, motivating and empowering quotes, stories and articles.
• 2) Healthy Lifestyles News with articles, tidbits, resources and products to help you live a healthier, more vibrant life.
• 3) Inspired Biz News with articles, stories and resources to create a more spiritual, whole-living work environment.
• 4) InspiredLiving.com News & Sale Announcements to hear about sales events, new products and website upgrades.