How to Raise a Science Lover

*This is a collaborative post


Some children find science pretty boring, while others are completely fascinated by it. If given the right sort of encouragement, it’s highly likely that you can help your child find a love of science from an early age. There are lots of ways you can achieve this, as explored below by an independent school in Surrey.




Conversations


Try and find opportunities to talk to your child about science related topics on a regular basis. Next time you’re taking a walk through the woods, ask them how much they know about the different trees and plants, or what types of wildlife they might be able to find upon closer inspection.  If you’re out for a drive, talk about the car’s engine and what the different pedals do. When baking a cake together, explain what causes the gooey liquid to rise and solidify in the oven. Science is all around you if you choose to look for it. 


Experiments


Give your child the freedom to create some (safe) science experiments at home. Children are curious beings, and they like to figure out how the world works by trialling different things and investigating, so don’t be afraid to let them do this at home. Here are some examples of science experiments you could try and home:


  • Next time your child takes a bath, take some items along for them to drop into the water and see if they can guess whether or not the item will float or sink.  

  • Slice up an apple and perform an experiment to see if you can figure out what will prevent the slices from going brown. Soak each slice in a different liquid and check on them at regular intervals. 

  • Drop a penny into a glass of coke and see how long it takes for the penny to become shiny.

  • Try and layer liquids such as honey, water, dish soap, etc in a glass and watch how they float on top of one another.


Different Environments


As mentioned above, science is all around us, so one way to keep your child stimulated and spark their interest is to explore science in different environments. For instance, you could head to a museum, or go outside at night and stargaze. Try and find areas that they seem genuinely interested in and work on cultivating that interest. 

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