Discover the fun in science

 

For parents of students in primary and junior grades

 

 

Some Background

“Since the beginning of time, curiosity has motivated people to question the world around them, to create wonderful inventions, and to investigate important ideas. Young children are driven by a compelling curiosity that challenges them to understand why things happen and how their world works.” (Rod Peterson, Les Asseltine, Creating the Curious Classroom)

 

Seek to nurture this curiosity in your child. Observe with them, question with them, build with them – encourage a love of learning that will serve them throughout their lives.

 

In elementary school, the science curriculum is a combination of Science and Technology. Remember to explore both these areas with your children.

 

Science

Science is made up of a body of knowledge (facts, principles, theories) as well as a set of skills used to develop that knowledge. Much of the fun in science for children (and adults) comes from developing those skills. The facts and principles will often take care of themselves. Skills include:

·        observing

·        classifying – grouping things based on similarities and differences

·        ordering (e.g., smallest to largest, heaviest to lightest)

·        measuring

·        predicting and experimenting

·        making models

·        designing, building, testing

·        manipulating materials and equipment

·        drawing

 

Technology

In the Science and Technology curriculum, technology most often refers to technological design, that is, design-and-build activities. Most children are natural builders. Making bridges, dams, vehicles, houses, towers, bird houses, boats will keep children busy for hours at a time. In this sense, technology is truly a problem-solving process.

 

When playing with your children, let them work through the process; be aware of their frustration level, but don’t remove the challenge by solving all the best problems for them.

 

What comes before questions?

Many people think science begins with good questions, but good questions come from interesting experiences and observations. Live these experiences with your children. Mix them up. Make them simple and complex, active and quiet:

·        visit a zoo or a petting farm

·        visit a working farm

·        lie on your backs in the grass and look for shapes in clouds

·        turn over and look at all the life in a tiny area of lawn or forest floor

·        walk through a woodlot – even a small one can seem like a forest to a child

·        collect leaves, stones

·        rescue spiders

·        capture, observe and release small creatures (mini-beasts)

 

Ask questions

Asking questions, and helping your child ask his own questions, is one of the most powerful tools you have in encouraging your child to explore areas of interest more deeply.

Questions are of two types: those that lead to answers that can be found in books (research questions) and those that lead to your child’s personal inquiry (experimentation, design and build). Both types have their place.

 

To encourage children to observe and compare, ask:

·        What do you see? hear? smell? feel? notice?

·        What happened?

·        How are these the same? different?

·        How can we group these? order these?

 

To encourage prediction/explanation, ask:

·        What do you think would happen if we changed this?

·        How would you explain that?

·        Why did that happen?

 

To encourage experimentation – design-and-build, ask:

·        Does…?

·        Could …?

·        Let’s see what happens if we change this…

·        What could we do?

·        Who could we ask?

·        How could we make it stronger? faster? taller? more tasty?

To encourage deeper thinking, ask:

·        What does that mean?

·        What did you learn?

·        What other questions do you have?

 

Other tips

·        Have your child get a library card. There are many wonderful books that emphasize both the content and skills of science.

·        Read science books as part of your daily read aloud.

·        Explore all areas of science – biology, chemistry, physics, nature, space, technology – you never know what will capture your child's imagination.

·        Find or make science-based toys.

·        Learn some magic tricks together – many are based on science concepts.

·        Enter your child's world. Slow down, learn to see with fresh eyes. Your enthusiasm is a powerful force.

·        Don’t worry too much about teaching your child; she will have many teachers. As a parent you are truly special. Let them teach you.

 

The most important tip

·        Take your cues from your child. Know when enough is enough. Let it remain FUN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This tip sheet was prepared by Chuck Hammill, Instructional Co-ordinator (Science & Technology).