A Parent's Guide to Making Science Fun | Dr. Edward Thalheimer

A Parent’s Guide to Making Science Fun

Dr. Edward Thalheimer

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

as a field is one of the most important aspects of our everyday lives. Because of the field itself it’s given us a better understanding of the world around us.

scientific knowledge is

promote cognitive development, and improve problem-solving skills. However, it’s not always the most fun or accessible to people. Here are some ways that you can make science fun for your children.

Basic

essential for children to understand the world around them,

Take a field trip

Field trips are one of the best ways that you can keep your children interested in the things that they’re learning. It doesn’t have to be a huge trip– you can go to your local science center and check out the fun things they offer, or you can go to the zoo, aquarium, or even a city park.

children about how

you see, from the fun things that interest them to the animals they play with, is an incredible way to keep your child’s interest in science alive.

Teaching your

science is in everything

Plan activities that are based around holidays

Now that we ’ ve established that science is in everything, we should make it fun! Everyone loves the holidays, so planning themed science activities can help them apply what they learn to real life.

You can help them build leprechaun traps for St. Patrick’s Day to learn about engineering and chemical energy, bake holiday cookies or decorate easter eggs to learn about chemistry. You could also learn about life science, recycling, and weather patterns on Earth Day.

Take a walk in nature

One way that you could help imbue a love of science in your children is to help them get excited about the outdoors. Taking your kids on a walk in nature at a local or national park or even in the nearby forest is a great way to make it fun for them.

or take a picture of it.

Have your kids look around at different plants, insects, rocks, or birds and have them draw one thing they saw

Then you can search for the insect they looked at on the web and read all about it.

Children are naturally curious, always looking at the world around them and asking questions. By giving them realworld experiences and learning through science and the experiments that come with it, your children will be more inclined to learn more about the world around them.

This feeds their curiosity and begins a cycle: they’re curious, so they do experiments to learn and, in turn, become curious again.