Science - Mind Map!

My own personal experiences related to science are somewhat unique.  When I was small, I loved learning. I was (am) insatiably curious, and school was a way for me to continue to satisfy my curiosity ever day.  I loved solving puzzles and problems, seeing things from different perspectives, and creating things.  As I got older, I was a good student, and my favourite subjects were Science and Art.   I was always given the impression, however, that my two interests were incompatible. I came to accept this idea, but it never really rung true with me.  Later in my studies, I ended up studying science, and then fine arts, winding up in graphic design before moving into teaching. While studying design, I was often confronted with how science-like my work was, how logical and systemic, and sometimes totally uncreative. Similarly, I always had experienced science as something creative. And one thing that I feel is a huge overlap between art and science:  both practices are concerned with seeing the world in new ways, discovering "hidden" truths, understanding why/how the world works they way it does, and sharing the exploration of / answer to these questions with others.  Really, I feel that science and art have A LOT of things in common, perhaps more commonalities than differences.  I think this perspective is reflected in my mind map, as it focused more on the questioning and exploring aspects of science than on "domains", or other ways one could break-down the idea of science. 

In my own teaching, I want to bring an excitement for science to my students by focusing on the ways in which science is about exploring, testing, playing, discovering, and satisfying our natural senses of curiosity.  I think all children have a natural curiosity and desire to understand things, and that capturing our students' imaginations in science will help to engage them in it more now and as they proceed through their school experience.  The more engaged they are at a younger age, the more likely they will continue to be engaged in and excited about science as they grow older.   

In terms of ideas I will emphasize/de-emphasize, I want my students to understand that science is not infallible, that all of science is a series of theories and laws that have been observed, proposed, and tested to varying degrees.  An essential goal of the science curriculum overall is to develop students into adults who have science literacy, and are able to engage with scientific ideas and issues in a critical way. Too many people today see science as "fact", and this is a notion I want to rid my students of.