It’s no revelation that even as adults we enjoy learning about the things we love and the interests we are passionate about. For starters, we never seem to mind setting aside precious hours to indulge in our favourite pastimes, nor do we find them a chore. In this article, we’re going to talk about how we can make that apply to our children’s learning and in particular, making Science fun!
Being captivated by a special subject or hobby should be fun and it’s remarkable how little it can feel like learning when you know how.
At MST, we know that all kids have one thing in common and that is the ability to have fun! It makes understanding and exploring new concepts interesting, which is actually half the challenge. So we thought we’d share some fun ways to keep kids engaged in the wonderful subject of Science.
Ditch the exercise books for a few hours and take a look at the world around you. Science is everywhere and this is what makes it so exciting! Some of our favourite mini-experiments to try with your children are easy and don’t cost a fortune.
Kids of all ages will enjoy building – and erupting– a mini Volcano sciencebob.com/make-your-own-volcano
Powering a little soap boat sciencebob.com/build-a-soap-powered-model-boat
or slinging a marshmallow catapult (my personal favourite!) marshmallow-catapults-summer-fun-for-kids
Most of these will take under an hour and are not just a fun learning experience but precious bonding time with your little ones.
Stage a Science quiz
Learning about Science– or any subject– in groups is not only super fun, but offers a great solution for a creative playdate. Split a group of children into groups and task them each with writing ten questions on a Science subject of your choice, this utilises skills such as research, group discussion and verbal reasoning.
Part 2 is where it gets fun for all of you parents! Channeling your inner Jeremy Paxman, pose as an expert quizmaster and fire away with the questions, allowing each team to work through their answers. After all that excitement and some serious brain power, we suggest both teams (and presenter) win a well-deserved prize!
Take a day trip
In and around London you will find hundreds of attractions to visit with your children that will stimulate learning around the Sciences. But if push came to shove, there’s only one place that would top them all and that has to be London’s internationally famous Science Museum.
This iconic attraction is full of exciting and interactive experiences to enjoy that will take you on a creative journey through history, exploring each and every moment that brought us to where we are today.
We also understand that the new interactive gallery is currently undergoing a significant refurbishment, so we expect big things from this when it re-opens in Autumn 2016. We are so thrilled that entrance fees to the this museum remain free of charge for everyone. Although, please note, some additional attractions and simulators require a fee, including the IMAX experience.
This is a marvellous, easy and very rewarding activity to try with your little ones and it can be as simple small as planting cress in a cup or as grand as a tree in your garden. It’s fascinating to see what can come from a tiny seed and how nature’s elements can help or hinder your creation.
Encourage your little ones to observe and monitor the changes that occur, taking into account the nutrients a plant needs to grow. Older children may wish to change conditions, for example adding or removing light or water, and record the effects this has on the plant.
Let us know how you get on with this one by sending your pictures to email@example.com and you could even make it onto our social media pages.
Use media to your advantage
We have Science to thank for many things including the endless developments in technology and of course the world wide web! In fact, for the past year or so, primary school children, as young as four years old, are now being introduced to computer coding.
As such, it becomes very hard to ignore the many wonderful media resources available to us now, including films, television and the internet. BBC Education has an amazing online resource, with its “Bitesize” microsite , which caters for all ages and offers fun guides, clips and demonstrations to support the curriculum.
It’s important to take time for a bit of everything to keep stimulated in Science! And if you do have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.