Science
All Around Us
By
Jay Davidson
Historically, the United States has lagged behind
many other nations in the instruction of science. With
the increased use of technology in many people’s daily
lives, this has been changing. Parents are in a
position to encourage their children’s interest in many
different areas of science. Let your curiosity and that
of your children lead you to the area that has the
greatest interest to you. Getting children to be
curious about the natural world around them at an early
age can lead them to science-related hobbies and jobs as
they grow up.
Animals (including
people)
Watch a spider in its web;
observe the movements of the animals around you: dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits,
birds; observe birds in their nests and their habitats; watch a caterpillar spin
its cocoon and wait until it transforms into a butterfly; look for animal
tracks; observe the way ducks animals care for their young; visit the vet with
your pet; observe the changes as a cut heals; ask to see x-rays at the
doctor’s or dentist’s office; ask about the equipment that your doctor or
dentist uses; observe the genetic similarities between generations in your
family or friends.
Plants
Plant packaged seeds and
observe them grow; plant seeds from fruit and vegetables that you eat; plant an
acorn; learn the names of various types of trees and flowers; save waste food as
compost; watch flowers bud and blossom; help care for trees and flowers in your
environment; plant a tree and record its progress.
Weather
Look at the weather report on
television or in the newspaper; pick a place and find its weather on the
Internet; look at a map that has climate or weather zones; observe the sky at
different times during the day; keep a thermometer inside and outside your
house; fly a kite; ask people about the weather where they are when you send
them email or speak to them on the phone; keep a graph or diary of weather
conditions; talk about the weather with people who come from different climate
zones; investigate the life of people who live in a different weather zone than
you; collect rain in a container; gaze at a rainbow; count the time that takes
place after lightning flashes and thunder crashes.
Chemical and
physical properties
Experiment with what will sink
or float in a large bucket of water; collect items in nature and sort them; see
how long it takes for an ice cube to melt; draw on steamy bathroom mirrors or
car windows; reflect light off mirrors; shine light through a crystal; balance
objects on a seesaw; squirt food coloring into water; make bubbles; create your
own musical instruments; sort spices by the different types of tastes; help with
measuring and mixing with recipes; put glow-in-the-dark stickers on your
child’s ceiling or wall.
Earth and space
Dig a hole in your yard or at
the beach; name the different materials used to build houses and other
buildings; read maps; make model cars, boats, and airplanes; go rock-hunting to
see how many different ones you can find; notice the way the sun and moon move
across the sky; watch a sunrise or sunset; keep track of the progress of space
program satellites, launches, and missions; make a graph of the way the shape of
the moon changes throughout the month; put rocks in a tumbler and see how they
change; look at the stars when you are away from an area that has bright city
lights.
Energy
Observe how your electric meter
changes when you turn things on and off; recycle glass, metal, and paper around
the house; visit a recycling site and a dump; play around with magnets on the
refrigerator; learn how to use electrical tools in the kitchen, bathroom, and
workshop; take apart old tools that have stopped working; find out how things
work; figure out the mileage for the family’s car; figure out the differences
in time for a trip you take on foot, by bike, in a car, or on a bus or train;
see how far a ball will roll.
Websites For Young
Scientists:
Suggested Reading:
This article has been incorporated
and expanded in Teach
Your Children Well: A Teacher’s Advice for Parents.
This article is reprinted with the author's permission.
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