1982 a Professor of Science and Mathematics Elementary Education at Hofstra University observed a kindergarten class engaged in learning.

Their only instruction was to build a tall tower out of clay. But once the towers reached a certain height, they fell. After some thought, one girl began to build her tower in a spiral. It grew taller. She tunneled a cave in the base to source more clay. Other children collaborated and followed her instruction. Soon many had tall, structurally sound towers.

The girl knew nothing about stress, compression and tension,” Goldberg stated in his summary article Learning How to Learn.

“If this young student’s mind is repeatedly stimulated in this way, she will be able to learn whatever she chooses. We will have taught her how to learn.”

The girl learned a process of discipline through thinking, experimenting, questioning, making mistakes and trying again.

Children who are challenged to think, to speak, listen with others and to try multiple solutions are disciplined. Goldberg concluded that “actively striving to find answers through interesting and significant investigations can engaged the WHOLE child, not just a part of his or her mind.”

Erin Grant

The article “Learning How To Learn” by Professor Lazer Goldberg is published in the journal Science and Children. 

  • Journal: Science and Children, Volume 19, Number 7.
  • Publication Date: 1982 (Pages 10–11).
  • Digital Access: You can locate and read the full text digitally through the JSTOR Database. 
  • This is how Lazer Goldberg talked with children. About chemistry. In his 1962 book The QUESTIONS and ANSWER Book of CHEMISTRY.
  • Perhaps you think of chemistry in connection with beautiful colors, bad smells or surprising explosions. Maybe you have seen some chemical demonstrations by your teacher at school. Whatever caused you to become interested in discovering more about chemistry, you will find that doing experiments yourself is much more exciting than watching other people do them.
  • There is much more to chemistry than making beautiful or surprising colors, bad smells and loud bangs. Chemistry helps us to understand what materials are made of and how and why these materials can change. Chemistry teaches us how to break up substances and put them together in new ways.
  • When you do the experiments in this book, you will not be playing at chemistry. You will be a REAL chemist. You will heat, cool, dissolve and measure substances. You will mix, grind, wet and dry them. You will put together some substances to make new ones. You will test them. When you are really interested in chemistry you want to know why things happen as they do. This book includes explanations to help you understand your experiments.
  • And here is a note from your friendly A.I.
    The 1960s was the golden age of chemistry sets, dominated by brands like A.C. Gilbert and Chemcraft by Porter. These thrilling kits contained real labware, alcohol burners, and chemicals that inspired a generation but are largely unavailable today due to strict modern toy safety regulations. 

    The Golden Era of Home Science
    During the mid-century science boom, these kits were marketed as the ultimate career-building toys. Kids were treated like real-world scientists, mixing powders to create reactions, and learning to handle laboratory glassware at their own kitchen tables. 

    What Was Inside a 1960’s Kit?
    A typical Deluxe or Senior Lab kit from the 1960s came packed in a folding metal or wooden carrying case, featuring:
    Glassware & Labware: Test tubes, beakers, pipettes, test-tube racks, glass tubing, and filter paper.
    Chemicals: A dozen or more powdery elements and liquids in glass or metal bottles (e.g., potassium permanganate, copper sulfate, and calcium hypochlorite).
    The “Lab” Feel: An alcohol lamp (burner) to apply heat to reactions.
    Manuals & Comics: Comprehensive “Fun with Chemistry” manuals, mini-comic books, and atomic-themed literature to spark the imagination. 

    The Danger and the Discontinuation
    While historically legendary, 1960s chemistry kits could be surprisingly hazardous. They routinely included instructions and raw materials for making smoke bombs, toxic chlorine gas, and even fires. As a result of increased government regulations and safety concerns in the 1970s and 1980s, the era of the “wild” chemistry set ended.