Some kids are naturally drawn to science, while others can take a little more encouraging, but within the fields of chemistry, biology, and physics there are sure to be loads of cool facts, experiments, and discoveries that will fascinate your kid. The trick is to get them hooked on science in the first place—once they’ve realized how interesting the subject can be, they will be more willing to give other areas of science a go. Check out this straightforward advice on ways of getting your child interested in science.
Try Some Home Experiments
You don’t need a fully functioning science lab to try out some cool experiments at home. Some really simple ones include: using a balloon and rubbing it on someone’s hair to demonstrate static, placing cut celery stalks in water with food dye to observe the process of capillary action, or building a simple marble run and applying different substances to the marble (such as honey, peanut butter, or oil) to observe the effects of different substances on friction and movement. Most kids will love helping to set up these at-home experiments, and you can talk about what you’ve observed and teach your kid without them even realizing they’re learning!
Learn About Famous Scientists
Kids are often drawn into a subject once they know about a famous person who excelled in it. Get a kid-friendly biography of Darwin, look up Einstein on Wikipedia, or invest in a collection of books about female scientists to inspire your kid to be that person making the next big scientific discovery.
Visit a Science Museum
Science museums are great places to take curious kids, as many of the exhibits are interactive and let children play the role of the scientist. If you don’t have a good one near you, it may be worth checking out the website of your nearest decent one with your kid, as they will learn a surprising amount just from the online content. If possible, you could plan a trip there with your kid as a special treat, giving them something to look forward to that’s linked with their learning.