Helping Our Children Gain Interest in Science

These days it is more common to find a kid who will spent all day playing video games than it is to find one who enjoys a good science experiment. It is actually more simple to turn our children on to science than you may think.

Considering that there are so many things in this world that actually could use thought provoking adjustment (great ideas), helping our children find an interest in science is not only beneficial to the child who is learning but the benefit could very well be grand in scope and everlasting. Where would we be without Edison and his light bulb or Tesla and his electric current and radio? Helping our children develop an interest in science could very well help prevent an oil spill, a mining accident, make a safer mode of transportation or a cleaner, more efficient fuel to run our vehicles with.

Have you ever heard of "seed socks"? What do you suppose your child would think if you suggested that they go outside and walk around the yard wearing socks (no shoes) and when they are done they plant their socks? Sounds a bit strange, doesn't it? It may sound odd but the seeds laying on the ground will stick to the socks and your youngster can discover exactly what kinds of seeds end up in your yard.

Another small experiment that could actually turn out to be very useful would be to make a "solar still". Getting stranded close to a beach or marooned on a desert island would definitely find use in a solar still. The experiment begins with salt water and teaches the concept of creating fresh, drinkable water when all you have is salt water. The chances of you ending up marooned on an island may be exceedingly remote, after all, but the concept of solar use is growing by leaps and bounds. Giving our children experiments using solar energy can give them an interest that may last them a lifetime.

How much do your children know about the density of water? Most adults I know have little knowledge of water's density but with the oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, the idea of understanding the density of water may come in useful. Experimenting with water density could be expanded to experiments on separation of oil and vinegar or different ways of saving the environment. Since the oil began flowing in the Gulf, many people have submitted ideas on how to clean up the spill. How about experimenting with your children to discover ways to remove oil from water?

The study of science can be manifested in many forms, such as engineering, chemistry, life sciences, physics, astrology and forensics, just to name a few branches of study Any of these areas can give your child a treasure trove of opportunity for a lifetime while helping to improve the world we all live in.

P.B.S. (Public Broadcasting System) has a wonderful website just for kids called ZOOMsci, and it is all about activities for kids. It has several different categories of scientific experiments for youngsters, including the solar still and seed socks mentioned above. Children are encouraged to send feedback to the website after participating in the experiments and even to submit other experiments that they may know of.

Those of you that home school your children can do an internet search for "science experiments for kids" and find all sorts of information such as A to Z Home's Cool Homeschoolingwebsite. Experiments are divided into categories from engineering to chemistry to almost anything else.

Learning about science is infinitely better than sitting around playing videogames all day and it is beneficial in ways that videogames can never be. If we make the time to help our children gain an interest in the study of science, we give them tools to improve the live they live and the world they inherit from us.