We’ve all heard it before: “Why do I have to learn this? I’ll never use it in real life!” There are times when kids struggle in school and just don’t see any possible way that the tough assignment they’re working on will have any practical application.
Well, as parents we can show our kids how science works every day in our lives. Your home, your backyard, your local playground or park—those are all laboratories just waiting for your naturally curious child. Take advantage of your outings to introduce some science into your child’s day.
See a cocoon while you’re in your yard? Show it to your child and watch how it progresses to beautiful butterfly form. It’s science!
Did you just make guacamole or use carrots in your cooking? Take the avocado seed or carrot top, a couple of toothpicks, and a bit of water and watch a new plant grow. It’s science!
Here’s a fun one: teach your kids a delicious lesson on how crystals form by letting them grow their own rock candy pop! Easy instructions with photos included can be found here.
How about teaching your kids about vibration while making a little music, too! Get 5 to 7 glass or plastic same-sized bottles (glass works best). Fill each bottle with different amounts of water, arrange on a table from most liquid to least. Have your child blow across the top of the bottle and see the tone she can create. Each bottle will produce a different tone, depending on the amount of liquid inside. The reason? The bottle with the smallest amount of liquid will produce a lower sound because there is more room inside for the air to vibrate. Inversely, the bottle with the most liquid will produce the highest tone because it has the least amount of room inside. It’s musical magic…and it’s science!
Scientific American has a wonderful feature online. Each Thursday they post super fun and easy science activities that parents can do with their kids, aged 6-12. In well thought out, user-friendly terms, you can use these activities to explore light manipulation, cooking experiments, how bridges work, sound manipulation, why puppies sleep in cute puppy piles, and so much more. Bookmark this fantastic page and set aside time each week to do these fun and easy activities with your kids!
Well, as parents we can show our kids how science works every day in our lives. Your home, your backyard, your local playground or park—those are all laboratories just waiting for your naturally curious child. Take advantage of your outings to introduce some science into your child’s day.
See a cocoon while you’re in your yard? Show it to your child and watch how it progresses to beautiful butterfly form. It’s science!
Did you just make guacamole or use carrots in your cooking? Take the avocado seed or carrot top, a couple of toothpicks, and a bit of water and watch a new plant grow. It’s science!Here’s a fun one: teach your kids a delicious lesson on how crystals form by letting them grow their own rock candy pop! Easy instructions with photos included can be found here.
How about teaching your kids about vibration while making a little music, too! Get 5 to 7 glass or plastic same-sized bottles (glass works best). Fill each bottle with different amounts of water, arrange on a table from most liquid to least. Have your child blow across the top of the bottle and see the tone she can create. Each bottle will produce a different tone, depending on the amount of liquid inside. The reason? The bottle with the smallest amount of liquid will produce a lower sound because there is more room inside for the air to vibrate. Inversely, the bottle with the most liquid will produce the highest tone because it has the least amount of room inside. It’s musical magic…and it’s science!Scientific American has a wonderful feature online. Each Thursday they post super fun and easy science activities that parents can do with their kids, aged 6-12. In well thought out, user-friendly terms, you can use these activities to explore light manipulation, cooking experiments, how bridges work, sound manipulation, why puppies sleep in cute puppy piles, and so much more. Bookmark this fantastic page and set aside time each week to do these fun and easy activities with your kids! 
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