Most parents read to their children daily. Make science part of everyday life, too, says Asia Citro, former science teacher and author of “The Curious Kid’s Science Book: 100+ Creative Hands-On Activities for Ages 4-8” (The Innovation Press).
Science is creative, and incorporating science into everyday life preserves and cultivates kids’ natural creativity, Citro says.
Don’t worry — you needn’t lecture on Newton’s laws. Instead, see if they can make a marble run out of recyclables. Don’t teach botany; let them pick apart a flower. Don’t instruct about photosynthesis; let them discover a seed in their food and try sprouting it.
“The Curious Kid’s Science Book” by Asia Citro encourages parents to help children put scientific principles to work with easy, fun experiments using everyday objects. (The Innovation Press / Handout)
“People think science is about informing,” Citro says. “It’s not. It’s about kids asking questions. Children can use normal things around the house to answer those questions.”
Ask a question, think of how to find an answer, try it. Then try a different way. Experimenting fosters problem-solving, which prepares your child for careers and life.
“People think you have to be a scientist to teach your kids,” Citro says, “but it’s not what you know. It’s what your child wonders.”
We talked to Citro about science fun for families. Following is an edited transcript.
Q: How can busy parents incorporate science into daily life?
A: Get in the habit of looking, and you’ll see experiments everywhere. My 6-year-old daughter was eating a sandwich in a restaurant. The bread had seeds on it. She wondered if she planted the bread, would it grow? She tried it. It molded.
Q: So how do you handle failures like that?
A: We used to think, “This didn’t work. How disappointing.” Instead, say, “That’s interesting. It’s not what we expected. What do you wonder now? What do you want to try next?” Failure is integral to science. Failure gives you information.
Another time, my daughter tried to sprout seeds using colored water. It didn’t work, but it became a favorite experiment. She came up with other things to try: different seeds, less food coloring, then using a different way — washable paints — to color the water.
Q: Parents are worried when they don’t know the answers.
A: Your role isn’t to answer their questions, but to assist. Ask, “What would you like to try? What do want from me?” They might answer, “I need you to cut a hole in this cup for my marble run,” or “I need a cup and some soil.” If they want you to look something up, you can. Scientists collaborate, and that’s OK. What matters is that kids love science and think of themselves as scientists. By high school, if they hate science, that is hard to fix.
Q: Isn’t science precise, with step-by-step instructions?
A: A scientist in a lab is precise. Kids aren’t. Six-year-olds can’t measure accurately, so let’s not do that. Don’t hammer them with vocabulary or details. Other kids science books talk about chemical reactions or magnetism, molecules or forces. But kids don’t understand things they can’t see! Focus on the heart of science: curiosity, perseverance, critical thinking. They can learn measuring in high school.
Finding a new way to solve a problem is exciting. If you give children step-by-step instructions, they miss out on discovery. One child wanted to know if plants could be watered with milk. It smelled, but the plant did grow, just as well as with water. She was 4 and willing to find that out. Little kids are receptive to science.
Do try this at home!
Here are some experiments from Asia Citro, author of “The Curious Kid’s Science Book”:
Sprout a seed
Materials: Regular or mini pumpkin, disposable plastic knife, paper towel, tape, plastic sealable bag, soil, cups.
Note: An adult can make the initial cuts — but ask the child where you should cut. Then the child can saw away with a plastic knife.
Discovery points: If kids cut the stem, they’ll notice a fleshier part inside, harder outside. Inside the pumpkin, same thing: harder outside, fleshier inside, with strings and seeds dangling from strings. Have them notice different layers. Build their power of observation. Look at all those seeds!
Dampen a paper towel, squeeze it out, then put seed and paper towel in the plastic bag, seal it. Place it somewhere warm, or tape it to a window to see roots form. Once it has sprouted, move the sprout into a cup of soil. (An adult should punch two holes in the cup’s bottom for drainage.) Most seeds will at least sprout. Use soil from the yard, or from a bag of potting soil. That could be another experiment: Which soil works better?
Extension: Encourage kids to discover seeds in foods: tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lemons, bananas. Not sure if it’s a seed? Try to sprout one. Dry beans or peas sprout fast.
If some seeds didn’t sprout, can you guess why? Was the food treated? How could you test your guess? Does the size of the seed tell you anything about the size of the sprout, or the plant? Inspire questions in kids.
Further exploration: Dissect weeds, or flowers from a bouquet. Kids love taking things apart. Offer them a piece of paper and tape. Can they separate different parts of the plant, tape them to the paper, and label them? They might know stem, petals, leaves. What they don’t know, they can label with a guess or question mark. If you know, offer the name. This is less about terminology and more about observation.
Build a marble run
Materials: Clean recycled containers, scissors and can opener (adult help), painter’s tape, marbles, large piece of cardboard.
Making a marble run will teach kids about forces, angles and speed. When Citro’s daughter’s marble kept sliding off, she learned that her curves were too steep. She kept adjusting until it worked.
Let the child gather a few containers and decide which to use. If you’re doing the cutting, let the child tell you where to cut the holes. (Adults will also need to check cans and plastic containers for sharp edges.) The child can use painter’s tape to attach items to the wall (painter’s tape allows kids to readjust items). If you’re worried about damage to the wall, use a big piece of cardboard.
Extension: Present a challenge: Can your child make a longer run that reaches across the wall? Can she make a loop or curve? What happens if you change what goes down your ramp? Try a pompom, a bead, a toy. What changes do you need to make? Why do you think you need to make them? Let them explore. When they are the ones to discover the answer, it’s not only more interesting, but they also hold onto the concept longer.
This originally ran in the Chicago Tribune in September 2015.
