Question

Activities to Helping Your Child Learn Science

Answer 1

Children learn by doing, by trying new ideas and challenging old ones. This doesn’t just happen in school. You can help your child learn by providing him with safe, interesting learning experiences in a supportive atmosphere.

The activities that follow are designed for you to use with your child at home and in the community. The activities are intended to show your child that science plays a part in many everyday activities and that it is used in many places and environments. They also show that learning science doesn’t require expensive equipment and complicated experiments

For each activity, you’ll see a grade span—from preschool through grade 5—that suggests when children should be ready to try it. Of course, children don’t always learn—or become interested in—the same things at the same time. And they don’t suddenly stop enjoying one thing and start enjoying another just because they are a little older. You’re the best judge of which activity your child is ready to try. For example, you may find that an activity listed for children in grades 1 or 2 works well with your preschooler. On the other hand, you might discover that the same activity may not interest your child until he is in grade 3 or 4. Feel free to make changes in an activity—shorten or lengthen it—to suit your child’s interests and attention span.

Safety First

Read through each activity before you try it with your child. In particular, look for this sign: <!-- --> It highlights any activity that requires adult supervision, such as those that involve heat, chemicals or sharp instruments.

Also make sure that your child understands any safety precautions that may be necessary for these—or any—science activities. In particular, you should:

★ Teach your child not to taste anything without your supervision;

★ Insist that he wear goggles whenever something could splash, burn, or shatter and endanger his eyes;

★ Teach him to follow warnings on manufacturers’ labels and instructions for toys and science kits;

★ Keep toxic or other dangerous substances out of the reach of your child;

★ Teach him what he can do to avoid accidents; and

★ Teach him what to do if an accident occurs.

In a box near the end of each activity are a few facts and explanations for reinforcement and further teaching. But exploring, questioning and having a good time are more important than memorizing facts.

Recording Results

Keeping records is an important part of science. It helps us remember what did (and didn’t) work. Before starting the activities, give your child a notebook— a science journal—in which she can record her observations. Remember that seeing isn’t the only way to observe. Sometimes we use other senses: We hear, feel, smell or taste some things (of course, your child should be careful about what she tastes— and she shouldn’t taste anything without your permission).

If your child cannot write yet, she can tell you what to write for her or draw pictures of what she sees. In addition, you may want to use a simple camera to help record observations. 

As a parent, you can help your child want to learn in a way no one else can. That desire to learn is a key to your child’s success. And, of course, enjoyment is an important motivator for learning. As you choose activities to use with your child, remember that helping him to learn doesn’t mean that you can’t laugh or that you have to be serious. In fact, you can teach your child a lot through play. We hope that you and your child enjoy these activities and that they inspire you to think of additional activities of your own. 

Science in the Home  

Your home is a great place for you to begin to explore science with your child. Incorporating science activities and language into familiar routines will show your child how science works in his everyday life and provide him with a safe environment in which to explore and experiment.

A Science Walk

Preschool–Kindergarten 

Even a walk around the yard can provide many opportunities to introduce children to scientific concepts and processes by helping them to gain the scientific habit of observing what’s around them.

What You Need

★ A magnifying glass

★ Science journal

What to Do

★ Take a walk outside with your child—around the yard, to the end of the block, in the park—anywhere that’s convenient. Invite her to bring along her science journal and show her how to use a magnifying glass. As you walk, stop and—depending on the season—ask her to use the lens to examine things such as the following:

—dirt

—leaves (from the same tree, one on the

ground and one on the tree)

—a flower

—snowflakes

—icicles

—bugs

—a mud puddle

—a rock

★ Ask her to talk about what she observes.

Ask, for example:

—What’s on each side of this leaf?

—How is this leaf on the ground different from the one on the tree?

—Are all the petals on this flower the same size and color?

—Are these snowflakes exactly alike? How are they different?

—How many legs does this bug have?

—How many colors can you see in this mud puddle?

★ Other questions you might ask as she observes and examines things

along the way include the following:

—Is it smooth or rough?

—Is it hard or soft?

—Is it dry or wet?

—Is it alive? How do you know?

—What shape is it?

★ Give your child two different kinds of rocks or flowers and ask her to tell you how they are alike and different. 

★ Make sure she records her observations, reactions, findings and opinions in her science journal. Drawing pictures and taking photos are good ways to record observations, and you can help her to write appropriate captions. Encourage her to share her journal with others and to talk about her experiences.  

Observing closely is an important part of science, and tools such as a magnifying glass help scientists—even young ones—to observe, measure and do things that they otherwise could not do.