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.
