We have had to live in a time when science and technology advance by leaps and bounds. For this reason, it is important that our children acquire knowledge and tools that allow them to function in an environment in which these subjects are becoming increasingly important. In addition, scientific knowledge helps to develop a critical spirit, to solve problems, to stimulate reasoning, logic and creativity.
However, for many children, science classes are difficult or boring. Usually science is often associated with complex theories, formulas, cycles, equations, and unsolvable problems. But nothing is further from reality, the problem is not the subjects themselves, but the methodology used to teach them.
How to awaken interest in science in children?
Science can be very simple and fun. We just have to take advantage of the natural curiosity of children and the resources available to us. From a very young age, children are interested in everything around them. As they grow, they touch, experiment and ask questions. They are researchers by nature since knowing the environment and its operation is, in addition to interesting, necessary to guarantee survival.
This innate curiosity can help us to awaken an interest in science, through simple experiments and with materials for everyday use or easily accessible. If we also relate scientific knowledge to real life phenomena, the interest will be even greater to them.
How can you bring your children closer to Science?
Experimenting
You don't have to have a laboratory at home. Not even that you buy devices, or specific materials. There are many experiments that you can do with homemade material or very easy to get. Try experimenting with water, balloons, candles, or even food. On the internet there are thousands of ideas to put into practice, however, in future posts I will publish some very easy and fun experiments.
Cooking
The kitchen is an excellent laboratory. In it children can touch, mix and observe many physical, chemical and biological phenomena. They can also experience flavors and textures. Mix substances, play with food, prepare solutions and observe the solubility of different products, see which objects float and which do not.
Actions as simple as preparing a coffee, boiling water, putting ice in a drink or frying an egg, can help us to explain what a solution is, the changes in the state of matter or the denaturation of proteins.
Give Science
You can take advantage of a birthday or Christmas gift to give your children a scientific device. They are sure to love seeing everything that is hidden with the naked eye with a microscope. Or observe the sky with a telescope. Some binoculars to observe birds or a guide to identify plants or animals are also excellent gifts to make science much more attractive.
Visiting the local markets
The markets they are an excellent field of work. In them you can see seasonal fruits and vegetables, spices, different fish and crustaceans. The little ones can learn to differentiate them visually, the older ones can do more elaborate works pointing and drawing what they see, their characteristics, the areas in which they are….
Museums, interpretation centers, exhibitions, etc.
Take advantage of weekends or holidays to do visits with your children to museums, exhibitions or interpretation centers. Children may not find the idea very attractive at first glance, but they will surely change their minds as soon as they see all the resources and workshops that these places offer.
Outings to nature
Take the opportunity to dedicate a day to science as a family doing an outing to some natural environment. You can go out into the field with a magnifying glass to observe insects or binoculars to observe birds. recognize animal and plant species, classify flowers or leaves. On the beach you can observe the tides, the adaptations of animals and plants to the salty environment, dive, classify shells…. . Nature offers many opportunities for your children to become little scientists.
Books, games and collections
There are many books, collections and games on various science-related topics . And, of course, living in the era of technology, resorting to audiovisual and interactive media is a fairly easy way to approach the scientific world and that almost all children like.
Let your kids experience science instead of telling it.
It is often very tempting for parents to give solutions and answers. But to live science, children must observe, experiment, ask questions, seek answers, formulate hypotheses, and draw conclusions. Do not be afraid that they are wrong. After all, life is trial and error.
These are just a few ideas among the thousands of possibilities that we have at our fingertips to have fun with science. As you can see, it is not necessary to have a laboratory, nor complicated materials and instruments. Our laboratory can be life itself, the environment that surrounds us and the phenomena that take place in it. We have in our day to day, many opportunities to learn science.
In future posts I will tell you how we can study science in different environments and some simple experiments that we can carry out with materials present in the home or easy to find in our usual stores.