Nurturing the Science Whiz at Home

A lot of parents tend to look at Science as just a collection of facts. Not many parents specialize in a science-based career and so feel helpless in wanting to nurture a liking for the subject in their children.

What parents don’t know is that Science is actually more a way of thinking rather than just facts and inventions. Science can also be seen as nothing more than a set of activities. They include:

• Observing what is happening
• Predicting what might happen
• Testing the predictions
• Trying to make sense of the observations.

This will involve a lot of trial and error. And it is in this search and re-search of an answer do scientific knowledge increases.

So, in reality, anyone can nurture a love of Science in their kids even if they don’t have much scientific knowledge. Nurturing this interest must start young because scientific knowledge takes time to build. Parents can start off by showing a positive attitude for the subject. Enthusiasm and encouragement from parents can spark children’s interest in Science and boost their curiosity. There is no better place to start than at home. And you don’t even need expensive science kits or books to do it.

There are so many opportunities to learn science at home. We adults usually don’t see such opportunities because we take such occurrences for granted. Baking a cake, reviving a droopy plant, watching fish swim are just some everyday occurrences at home that hold a lot of potential to explore scientific concepts.

If parents rather be guided by ready-made activities off the Internet and books that is right for their child. Here are some tips and considerations for parents who want to engage with their kids in scientific pursuits at home.

Choosing the right activity.

Science is best learnt hands-on when children get to investigate and experiment. The younger your child the more important hands on activity is. But what activity is right? Here are some pointers:

1. It should be not be too hard or too easy. If it is too difficult, your child will believe that Science, as a subject, is difficult and therefore will shun it at school. If you are not too sure, always go for the easier ones. This can give a sense of accomplishment to your child when he completes the activity successfully.

2. Consider your child’s personality. Is he more suited for solo or group work? Will he like it if you supervise or just left alone to explore? If he prefers group work, it might be a good idea to band together with other parents to carry out activities in a group. A lot of parents who have adopted the home school model to educate their children are doing just that.

3. Check if the activity is appropriate for the location. For example, if you want to do star gazing, it is unlikely that you can get to see much in a housing estate in Singapore because of all the bright light. You will probably need to go out to a distant part of the country to do that.

4. If you can’t decide between two activities of the same difficulty level, ask your child. Describe the activities briefly to him and let him pick the one that excites him more. Your child will more likely be motivated to stay on task and complete the activity.

5. Don’t rely too much on the aged suggestions you find in some activity books and science kits. If your child has a great interest in experimentations and have done many before, he might very well be able to handle activities recommended for higher age levels. If it is the first few times you are trying out then start with something of a lower level and let him enjoy completing the tasks.

6. Some experimentation can be messy and time consuming. Check how long the activity will take and what is involved so you can make the necessary adjustments. Try not to leave an activity unfinished or divided over a few days so that the learning objectives are not lost on your child.

Keeping activities safe.
Some activities contain elements that can be hazardous to your child. Instead of being overly protective or even scaring your child away from experimentation you can do the following to lower the risks of accidents.

1. Teach your child not to taste anything unless they know for sure it is edible or non-toxic and clean
2. If there is going to be splashing of liquids or parts flying off, for example like when an object is hit with a hammer, ask your child to wear goggles to protect the eyes. Even swimming goggles that are not tinted would do. Wearing spectacles may not be good enough because the eyes can be hurt from the exposed sides of the spectacles.
3. Be sure to supervise if heating or mixing of chemicals is involved.
4. Teach your child what to do should accidents occur.

How much is too much?
If you are worrying that there is so much to cover then the rule of thumb is to focus on depth rather than variety of topics. The best way of inculcating a love for science and train children to think scientifically is to choose a few topics and work on that few topics as much as possible so that they can feel themselves becoming more knowledgeable. This will help boost their self-esteem and they will feel more confident when dealing with Science in school.