I did give examples. My own children are going through high school here in the UK right now, they are 15 and 17 and both study physics and chemistry. They spend a significant portion of their science education performing experiments themselves in labs, that's exactly what lab work is for - to test the things you are being taught. Maybe it's different in the US, if you are American, but did you really not do experiments in science class at school? Did your teachers really not explain how to apply the scientific method practically? Anyone can test the theories of basic mechanics, gases and electricity with household objects and surely must do this at school right?

I happened to go on to do Physics at University, although I transferred and eventually graduated in Computer Science. Of course the work you do there is more advanced, but it builds on the basic principles of investigation, verification and experimentation started at school. About 95,000 students study physical science subjects University level here in the UK every year.