Biology
The study of living things is the study of biology. It has three main branches, botany the study of plants, zoology the study of animals, and microbiology the study of tiny organisms. Biology, like astronomy is also a very old science because it involves the observation of the living creatures that inhabit earth, observations which started almost as soon as science was born. These observations have been relatively well documented through the centuries, proving the importance of biology in the world of science.
Through the observations in biology, we are able to understand life and the nature of the living things that surround us. It is through biology that we are able to cure illness and preserve our environment. Before any of these innovations were possible, though, the first biologists had to classify and categorize the living things that they observed, making their studies neater and better documented. In fact, taxonomy or the classification of living organisms is one of the branches of biology. With taxonomy, biologists can classify the various living things found on earth.
Carolus Linnaeus' Classifications
Because your children will be learning the differences between living and non‐living things in the first grade, they are doing basic taxonomy. This is the same kind of taxonomy that Carolus Linnaeus, an eighteenth century Swedish scientist, started with when he began his classifications of living things. Through careful observation and diligent work, Linnaeus proceeded to divide all known living things under kingdoms; giving them Latin names and grouping them according to common characteristics.
Without his careful studying and notes, the modern world may have taken a while longer before a working classification of living things was created. His observations gave future scientists a starting point for further observation and study of animals. In modern science, the classification of living things has changed. Now, classifications are based on DNA structure and other characteristics unknown and unobservable to Linnaeus during his time.
Linnaeus' system of classification proves to young scientists that even just observation can make you a great scientist. Studying Linnaeus and imitating his classifications can help develop good observational skills in your child. It also instills in a young scientist the virtue of patience and hard work. Simple classifications are easy to do with your child, and they can be done on a daily basis.
Next Article: Chemistry
