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I need to explain evolution to a six year-old.
- Thread starter Nanda
- Start date
A
angellous_evangellous
Guest
HAHAHAH good luck
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
I might not be the best to go by, but I'd say something like: A long, long time ago, there were no humans or animals. At some point, a little living cell formed. That little thing changed and became different kinds of little living things. Over the course of many, many years these little living things kept changing until they had changed into animals. These animals also changed depending on their environment. Apes were one of these animals, and somewhere along the line, some of the apes changed into humans. The first humans were not much different from apes, but over thousands of years they changed too, into what we are today.
I'm not used to talking to a 6-year-old, so I don't know whether that's too involved or what, but hopefully it can give you some kind of help.
I'm not used to talking to a 6-year-old, so I don't know whether that's too involved or what, but hopefully it can give you some kind of help.
Halcyon
Lord of the Badgers
Pictures are better than words. I'd imagine there are probably some good childrens books out there that teach simple evolution.
I can remember seeing something similar to this at a very young age, I don't remember finding it that confusing;
http://www.open2.net/nextbigthing/evolution/graphics/ev_of_man.jpg
(My god though, trying to find that pic through all the crappy joke pictures on google was a nightmare)
Sola'lor
LDSUJC
She's right you did sound like you've lost your mind. Hehehe. Just kidding... But seriously.
Nanda
Polyanna
First I'd have to explain what the heck a "cell" is, which may prove just as difficult. :biglaugh:
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
She's right you did sound like you've lost your mind. Hehehe. Just kidding... But seriously.
Well, I'm not a good example, considering I have actually lost my mind.
But the theory of evolution is so simple and straightforeward that any six year old can grasp it.
In a litter of puppies some have long fur, some short. Some are dark colored, some light. If the puppies are born in a cold, snowy environment, long, pale fur will be advantageous. If born in a Southern woodland, darker, shorter fur would be preferable.
Not all puppies make it to adulthood to reproduce. In the North, pale, long haired individuals are more likely to thrive and pass these characteristics on to their progeny. In the South, darker, short-haired individuals are more likely to survive, and their children will have their characteristics.
Translate these simple principles to life on the African veldt: efficency of a bipedal gait, the visual advantages of an upright stance, development of an opposable thumb, &c.
It should be simple.
In a litter of puppies some have long fur, some short. Some are dark colored, some light. If the puppies are born in a cold, snowy environment, long, pale fur will be advantageous. If born in a Southern woodland, darker, shorter fur would be preferable.
Not all puppies make it to adulthood to reproduce. In the North, pale, long haired individuals are more likely to thrive and pass these characteristics on to their progeny. In the South, darker, short-haired individuals are more likely to survive, and their children will have their characteristics.
Translate these simple principles to life on the African veldt: efficency of a bipedal gait, the visual advantages of an upright stance, development of an opposable thumb, &c.
It should be simple.
When any animal is born there is a chance it might not be completely like its parents, maybe it has for some reason red stripes instead of orange or big ears instead of little ones, but what this means is that some times these unpredicted changes (mutations) give a given animal an edge over its brothers and sisters, it may be faster or smarter or just more resilient to infections, if this happens that animal is more likely to survive and make little babies that in turn will also have that advantage, and thus a new type of that animal spreads and populates the land..
Nanda
Polyanna
Yeah, that sounds like the best course of action. I'll have to order them from Amazon, though, because they don't carry books on evolution for children at any of my local bookstores (and yet there's a whole shelf full of bible stories for children. That's fair.)
Don Penguinoini
Modi.
Well, id use the MONKEY! People came from a little germ(cells, germs, same thing) then they got bigger and different, and this is what we are now! It would be too complex for me!
Sola'lor
LDSUJC
Well that makes two of us. :bonk:
Don Penguinoini
Modi.
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
Well, yes, but you could describe it as a tiny piece of life, or something.
Nanda
Polyanna
Im sure they arejust spreading the lurvvv
But they're not spreading the love; there weren't any books about evolution.
Nanda
Polyanna
Little tiny people bits.
Alex_G
Enlightner of the Senses
Maybe compare it to somthing familiar, such as advancing through school. Initiall in the lower class, learning things from teacher x, and then as time goes by and you get better, you move up through the classes, meeting new chalenges to overcome etc.
not massivly accurate, but may work as a initial description.
Just a thought
oh yeah, pictures are paramount
Magic Man
Reaper of Conversation
Yeah, you know, my bits and pieces, baby, yeah!
lunamoth
Will to love
Hi Nanda,
The advice to find a simple book is good. I actually think you could use any biology text book that has a chapter on evolution. That is what I would do with my kids, five and seven. Sure, a six-year-old is not going to get it but putting it in a cartoon version might not really help. And, if you keep talking about it, keep it simple, they will start to understand over time. They are not too little to be introduced to the scientific terms and concepts.
You might start by pointing out our similarities to animals. Our hair is a good example, and you can explain how humans were covered with hair a "long long time ago." Then work you way back, saying the further back in time we go, the more our ancestors looked like animals. The process of change over long periods of time is what we call evolution.
Have fun with it!
The advice to find a simple book is good. I actually think you could use any biology text book that has a chapter on evolution. That is what I would do with my kids, five and seven. Sure, a six-year-old is not going to get it but putting it in a cartoon version might not really help. And, if you keep talking about it, keep it simple, they will start to understand over time. They are not too little to be introduced to the scientific terms and concepts.
You might start by pointing out our similarities to animals. Our hair is a good example, and you can explain how humans were covered with hair a "long long time ago." Then work you way back, saying the further back in time we go, the more our ancestors looked like animals. The process of change over long periods of time is what we call evolution.
Have fun with it!