Tips for encouraging discovery

10 ways to help your children to love and excel in science.

1. Take them outside for a walk. Whatever the season and wherever the location, there are always thing to observe; birds, trees, soil, rocks, weeds growing through cracks in the sidewalk, insects, the angle of sun or streetlights, sounds, smells, signs of weathering, snow, ice and puddles, or clouds. Encourage your children to notice the details and how your neighborhood changes from day to day and month to month.

2. Buy a cheap notebook. If you can find one that has blank and lined pages that is ideal. Encourage your children to draw and write what they saw on your walk, or experiments or observations they have made at home. Have them record the date, their thoughts, questions and what they noticed. For older students, help them organize their observations or data into tables and plot graphs.

3. Encourage your children to ask questions about the world around them.  Model your own wonderings and thoughts.

4. Encourage them to make collections of objects, rocks, shells, twigs pressed fallen leaves. Have them sort these objects in different ways.

5. Buy or borrow from your local library some simple identification books like Golden Guides or Peterson’s first guides to help identify objects you find.

6. Take them to a museum, zoo, nature or science center. Rather than just a trip to see everything, try to have a purpose for going. Have your child think of some questions they would like to answer on the visit and focus on those.

7. Let your children watch science television programs suitable for their age level. Watch with them and talk about what you saw and questions you still have.

8. Read non-fiction books together. Choose science topics that interest each child.

9. Try some simple science experiments at home.  Most libraries have suitable books, or you can look for ideas on the internet. They don’t have to be complicated:  you can plant some seeds from the pepper you cut up for dinner, pour water into different containers, bake different brownie recipes to see which is tastiest, find which plastic shopping bag is strongest, or which detergent cleans grass stains best. Even better, have your children think of ways to test questions that they have (with your permission and supervision.)

10. Allow them to be curious about the world around them, and take the time to be curious yourself.  Check out the "For Kids" page on this site.