Getting kids excited about learning and exploring their world all throughout the year can feel daunting especially when the word “science” is involved. But teaching science in everyday life doesn’t have to be hard or boring. It’s easy to be a scientist! Simply look around and ask “Why?” Bayer wants to help parents lead their children into the “Why?” questions with their Making Science Make Sense® program. You can visit msms.bayer.us to access all kinds of great free experiment guides to help you get started in addition to my 5 tips below.
5 Simple Tips for Getting Kids Excited about Science:
1. Life Cycles
What child doesn’t love catching tadpoles, frogs, caterpillars and butterflies! Catching (and releasing) these fun critters as a family is a great opportunity to teach on life cycles and the value of life. Encouraging your kids to watch the circle of life happening around them can be fun, and yes, I highly suggest bursting into a Lion King sing-a-long while you are at it!
2. Build a Fire
Fire is fascinating for all ages, myself included. Building a bonfire is a great opportunity to not only teach your kids about fire safety, and outdoor survival but also about the ingredients required for fire, heat, fuel, and oxygen. Don’t forget the fun fireside treats to make it memorable!
3. Try Kitchen Science
Doing informal experiments at home is not only fun, but also effective in helping to develop long-term skills and interest. Many household items can be used for fun science experiments; even baking a cake is a form of chemistry. There are also long term rewards to your kids understanding and learning the science of baking… wink wink!
4. Encourage Observation
Bring out the binoculars, magnifying glass, or the spotting scope and you’ll be amazed at what your children will find. Show your own excitement to engage and observe the world around you and your excitement will rub off on your kids. Just this morning our family spotted a blue heron we named Herold! Making it fun and personal always goes a long ways.
5. Plant & Grow Together
Planting is a great time to talk about the environment and exploring how plants grow. Try planting a tree that you can take care of together and watch grow as your kids grow. Teach about how to tell the age of trees and plan nature walks where they can observe what is growing around them.
Now it’s your turn! What’s your favorite way to encourage science at home? What barriers do you experience in encouraging STEM learning beyond your child’s classroom? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below so we can learn and grow in bringing the sciences to our kids together!
Visit msms.bayer.us to access free experiment guides, an interactive periodic table and video vignettes that are helpful in Making Science Make Sense®. Making Science Make Sense® (MSMS) is Bayer’s company-wide initiative that advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science education, employee volunteerism and public education. As a Life Science company, Bayer has its foundation in science and innovation giving Bayer a unique understanding of the integral role science plays in everyday life.
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Disclaimer: I have teamed up with Bayer in support of this campaign. We received compensation for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.