The Toddler Periodic Table of Elements

(patent pending)

By Teresa

When our babies are born, they come into a world of sight and sound that can be overwhelming. And what do we do? We start talking to them. We speak in a language they don’t understand. We show them toys they can’t use. As they grow we put maps on their wall when they can’t understand the concept of the largeness of Earth and that the picture on the wall represents that Earth. We read to them and show them books full of letters that look like just a bunch of designs to them. And then a miracle happens. They begin to speak. They start to make sense of these symbols. They start making sentences, writing letters, learning words.

Can you imagine if you picked up your newborn baby and told him how much you loved him and your mother said, “Don’t do that! He has no idea what you’re saying.” What if she walked into your toddler’s room and balked at the books on the shelf and said, “Why on Earth do you have those? That child has no idea what those things say.” We would find that most unusual. Yet in our society, we do this very thing when it comes to science. In addition to a map, we should have the periodic table of elements on the wall. But instead, we harbor it like a secret and we hide it away in a book not to be seen until most of us are teenagers. But everything on this planet is made of the elements on that table. Sure, it looks hard, but do you think a map makes sense to a 3 year old?

But isn’t Chemistry hard? Sure it’s hard if it’s guarded like a secret. But if, like your language, it is presented in a basic way over years of your life, constantly exposing you to the next level, do you think it would be hard? Do you think that if our toddlers grow up with the periodic table, they will be afraid of it? Just like learning another language, they would know it, not fear it, be fluent in its use and accept it as a normal part of life.

So why is it not on the walls in kindergartens? Why is it not in children’s programming? Why isn’t it in children’s books? We can present it in bright, colorful and elementary ways, just like we do letters, colors, numbers and shapes. Lets hope that our society changes its attitudes about Chemistry and our little folks. It’s my dream to see it happen!

Teresa

June 2005

send me a post card when the table becomes available