Homeschool forensic science courses provide students with more than just an interesting area of study. Though many students exploring forensics will not go on to forge careers in this field, the exercises in critical thinking will be invaluable in the future. Homeschool forensic science courses tie many psychological and scientific concepts into your child's learning. They can be an excellent way for students to actualize theoretical material and appreciate the applicable nature of science.
About Homeschool Forensic Science
Forensics is the art of criminal investigation. It deals with the tracing and placement of evidence in order to solve a crime. Criminal investigation is not a cut-and-dried field of study. Forensics involves many nuances, particularly when it comes to the scientific methods that are used to extract details and objects from a crime scene. You might think that a high background in science is necessary for a student to develop an interest in forensics, but on a theoretical level, a student's understanding of science can actually be enhanced by studying forensics.
Physics and chemistry may seem terribly theoretical to a child who doesn't possess a strong inclination toward the sciences. However, drawing a child in through a crime scene investigation and illustrating the chemical methods that are used to uncover and clarify evidence, alongside the role of physics when it comes to the placement of evidence, can give a child a sense of purpose when it comes to studying the more hearty fields of science.
Forensic science isn't a typical area of homeschool study and it isn't usually present in most high school curriculums. Still, it can make for an excellent elective. It can be very useful for career planning, especially when so many students enter college without a clear-cut idea of their future occupation.
Finding Resources
Your child's first introduction to forensics doesn't need to be through an exact forensics curriculum. Purchasing forensic materials can become expensive. Also, a child that doesn't have a firm foundation in the purpose for criminal investigation may not be intrigued enough to appreciate this science. One of the best ways to develop a student's interest in forensics is through reading mysteries.
A key advantage in this method is that it will encourage your child to read. Reading, when accompanied by a curious mind, is really the fundamental of all learning. The Sherlock Holmes series, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries are excellent for encouraging a child to ask specific questions and realize certain patterns that occur within criminal investigations. Developing a keen sense of detail is a process and such reading materials serve to hone a student's attention to discrepancies and nuances that can be found at a crime scene.
Ann Zeise has created a powerful resource for homeschoolers that provides a directory of links and websites for certain homeschooling topics. She has collected a wealth of articles dedicated to the field of forensic science that will provide a more than ample introduction to some of the more scientifically complex areas of crime scene investigation. Concepts such as fingerprinting and even a urinalysis are included within this prospectus. There are also many crime solving exercises provided, none of which should involve tremendous expense to parents. These hands-on activities are vividly interesting and may involve fun group activities.
Also, be sure to scroll along the right side of the page for purchasing suggestions that involve forensics workbooks and all sorts of fun learning apparatus.
More motivated students may be able to glean some use from the Shambles forensics directory. Though some of these courses are geared toward adults and forensics professionals, many are applicable to students in middle school and beyond.
Layers of Application
It may be difficult for parents to argue forensics courses for credit on their child's homeschool report cards. However, forensics cannot be stressed enough for its ability to provide an individual with a lasting education. Students who have been trained to think critically will have an easier time advancing, perfecting and dissecting many issues within their lives, some of which may take place in the writing of future term papers, their occupations, or even their personal relationships.
