Science Education: How to Make Science Fun
Do you find your children moan and groan when you tell them it’s time to do their science homework? There are simple solutions to make science fun. Kids are curious by nature and like asking questions. If they see, hear, or feel that which comes in their way, they’ll probably ask, ‘Why?”
Parents and teachers can make science learning fun and exciting by emboldening their curiosity about their surroundings. Teaching them how to find answers about the questions they’ve asked for themselves also helps. After all, science is all about finding the solutions to ‘why.’
Speaking of science, most kids tend to struggle with physics. And speaking of science, most kids also tend to struggle with physics and mathematics. Unless they have a solid understanding of the fundamentals, they will fall behind. Physics and math are inter-related, and if you live near a physics tuition center, you may want to consider enrolling your child. But there are things you can do right now at home to make science learning fun.
5 Tips to Make Science Fun for Your Kids
1. Exploring Your Backyard or Park
When was the last time you took your child in your backyard or park for the science’s sake? It’s not something most parents think of doing. But science is best learned through observations and experiments. Your child will ask you “how do chicks hatch”, or “how does a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly?”, or how plants sprout from the seeds. The best way to make kids fascinated by science is through nature. In the real world, students can learn the fun secrets of science by observing the captivating development process of plants, insects, and animals.
In nature, teachers can also find quite a few science experiments that they can ask the students to do at home. For example, you can ask kids to keep a journal on how many days it takes for larvae to morph into a butterfly or the different types of butterflies in their yard.
2. Studying Nature
Why does it rain? Why do the seasons change? How many stars are there in the universe? Why do we see stars at night? I’m guessing you’ve heard these questions from your child many times? Answering these questions about nature will generate interest in your kids about science. Take your children for long hikes and ask them to look out for the natural surroundings, including birds, trees, and rocks as you travel.
If you’re looking at clouds, tell them about the many varieties of clouds. If you’re studying birds, point out the different birds, and if chemistry is your thing, let them know what makes their soda fizzle.
3. Find Out How Things Work
Whether your kids want to become doctors or engineers in the future or not, kids always get fascinated by how things work. They want to understand the scientific explanations and principles behind everyday technologies and phenomena. So they want to read the books about Thomas Edison and other such famous inventors. They want to attempt to come up with experiments on their own to show how their inventions work.
If your child asks you for help with his or her science project, like making a rocket from a recycled water bottle, lend them a hand. You can help them find household items or demonstrate how physics principles work. If your child struggles with math, don’t rule out getting a math tutor to help them with their scientific calculations.
4. Be Practical
You can’t learn science without experiments or hands-on activities. Sure, reading books about science, as well as biographies of famous scientists and inventors day-in and day-out, will give them knowledge. But never actually doing a science experiment or witnessing any scientific demonstrations is dull.
Learning science is a full-on hands-on activity, period. But before that, find out what everyday issues affects and interest your students? Do they like hunting for exotic bugs? Are they interested in making a fake volcano using vinegar and baking soda? Do they want to create glow-in-the-dark germs? Be creative! There are tons of projects like these they can do to throughout the year.
5. Read Biographies
Children need to be encouraged and inspired. And what better way to instill scientific curiosity in kids by persuading them to read biographies about famous scientists such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Marie Curie? Making biographies about scientists and inventors as part of your science studies will help kids stay engaged. It will make them curious to know about how these people worked, lived, and how they discovered facts about science.
The achievements of these types of people have greatly impacted the world and can often be looked at as super heroes. But simple reading about them can show how scientists and inventors are just real people with ideas who wanted to make a difference in our world.
Who knows, it could inspire your child to become the next famous scientist!
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