Every school in America is required to teach science. This is because science and scientific learning is a fundamental part of our existence. Most everything that we encounter on a day-to-day basis is, in some way, related to science. Even when we are sleeping, science is there to explain why we need to sleep and what takes place while we are sleeping. Because of this, science education is essential to life as we know it. Of course there will be many people who are happy to go through life without knowing how a bird can fly. Even given this fact, there will always be something that they will need to know and understand that is grounded in science. Even if it is something as simple as ‘fire is hot’ or ‘getting punched hurts. Science is there to explain these simple things too.

A good foundation in science through science education is required for all children, but the way that this education takes place is not strictly defined. With that said, many schools will take to science experiments using hands-on science products and supplies. This is an excellent way for students to ’see’ the science around them. Often times learning from a book can be tedious and will cause students to become uninterested in the subject matter. A science experiment, however, is interactive and forces the students to take part in science learning. These projects don’t have to be complicated and will usually result in a much higher level of learning retention.

There are a few reasons why children better retain knowledge gained through scientific experimentation. One is it allows you to appeal to those children who are visual learners. These students are the ones who need pictures or demonstrations to remember things. Words just don’t stick in their minds as well, but when they can see a science demonstration or visualize an experiment, they can comprehend and retain the subject matter with much better success. Many students tend to thrive in science because it offers the visual aspect that many other subject matters do not.

Another reason that knowledge gained through science experimentation is retained longer by students is because they are actively engaged. They can’t simply skim through the experiment, they have to make sure that they are doing things correctly, and the only way to ensure that is by understanding what is going on. It forces students to understand the science behind what they are doing, and if they don’t, often times the experiment won’t turn out right.

Finally, hands-on science experimentation gives the student a sense of accomplishment. It is a reward of sorts, to have the experiment turn out correctly. That reassurance and sense of achievement at the end of each experiment will cause them to want to do more. It will also give them more confidence in what they are doing and possibly cause them to take up more science projects on their own. They will already be comfortable with the process they need to follow and will merely need their own ideas and theories to start their own projects. Even their own small science projects will increase their knowledge of how the world around them works and functions.

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Learning science is not always easy for children. Often if it seems difficult, children will lose interest. Science is an essential area that will stay with children throughout their education, so it is important that they don’t lose interest while they are young. There are number of things one can do to get their kids interested in science.

1. Children love to spend time outdoors, so one way of getting them interested in science is taking them on a nature walk in a park. You can point pout the various animals, bugs, flowers, and plants. The kids will have fun learning all about nature. They will not even realize they are learning.

2. There are a number of children’s science kits available online and in toy stores. There are microscope kits, volcano making kits, butterfly kits, ant farms, and much more. Kids love these kits and will spend hours using them. There are even kid’s telescopes for looking at the moon and stars. As well, outdoor play can include finding and identifying insects, frogs, and different tree leaves.

3. There are number community organizations that focus on kids. This includes the 4-H, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts. These organizations provide many activities that involve science. They also help children socialize.

4. There are many at home kids’ activities that involve science. This can include making and flying kites, building go-carts, building a robot, and much more. There are even kid’s rockets that children can put together and launch.

5. There are even activities in the kitchen such as cooking that involves science. Get your kids to help you cook. Let them measure ingredients and have discussions about how meals are made and cooked.

6. Encourage your children to ask questions when engaging in science activities. Help them find the answers through books and kids science videos. Allow children to take things apart to learn how they work.

7. Take your children to a science museum. There they will find a whole range of science subjects.
Some displays are even interactive so your child can participate in a fun learning experience.

8. Take your children to such places as zoos, aquariums, science centers, and planetariums…etc. It is great and fun way to get children interested in science.

9. There are science learning channels such as the discovery channel that will provide science shows that cater to children. There are also children science activity books available. As well, one can purchase a wide assortment of science videos that are made for children. They are educational and entertaining.

One of the productive things you can do to get your kids interested in science is participate in the activities with them. This will show the kids that you too find it interesting and fun. It is always important to make the experience positive. You do not want the experience to seem like a classroom. By actively encourage your child to engage in fun activities that are connected to science, your child will gain a life long love of the subject.

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When looking for expert knowledge and professional service for alternative energy, telescopes, and kids science, come visit us for Canada’s best selection of science & astronomy products!

There are so many ways to encourage a love of science in your child. Children are naturally curious about everything around them, and science is a natural outlet for them. You and your child will both enjoy some of the following activities.

Lead your child in using the scientific method to solve everyday problems, from resolving conflicts with a brother or sister to explaining who is leaving toothpaste in the bathroom sink every morning. These are the five basic steps to the scientific method: one, state the problem. Two, form a hypothesis. Three, observe and experiment. Four, interpret the data, and five, draw conclusions. You may find yourself raising a regular Sherlock Holmes.

Teach your child how to help you in the garden and yard. Let them learn how to use basic tools. You could perform experiments in the flower bed, such as observing and measuring how fertilizer improves the growth of some of the flowers. You could create collections of insects, leaves, rocks, seashells or other things. Set up a bird feeder and use a reference book to learn the names of all the types of birds that come to it.

Learn about the weather and make weather, temperature and moisture observations. Where does thunder and lightning come from? Learn about the stars, the moon and the sun. Find the answers to questions like why do stars seem to twinkle and why does the moon seem to change. How far away is the sun? Camp out for lunar eclipses or to watch meteor showers. Study the seasons and why the leaves change colors in the fall.

Study the human body and all the major organs and systems: bones, muscles, nerves, digestion, and skin. Learn about reproduction from conception to birth. Learn about germs and viruses and how the body fights them.

Experiment with magnifying glasses, magnets, cameras, pulleys, wheels and gears. When a child shows interest investing in a good microscope or telescope can be a lot of fun. Take things apart, like a door knob for example, and see how it works. Look inside a toilet tank and see what makes it flush. Before throwing a way an old radio or toaster, take it apart and see what you can learn about it.

Do not worry that you have to be a scientific genius yourself to encourage your child in science. When they visit, ask other adults you know to talk to your child about what they know, especially things like how they use science or math on the job. Go to the library and get all kinds of great science books written on a child’s level. Pay attention to what your child is learning in school. Learn together how to use catalogs and computers to find the answers to question you have. Most of all enjoy yourselves and foster the natural curiosity in your child.

About Author

Michelle builds websites on various topics, like http://pacifierclip.org/, http://4-wheeler.org/, http://princesscoloringpages.org and more.

Bubblology Experiments
to Share with Your Kids

By Aurora Lipper

This article teaches kids about the science of bubblology and gives a handful of totally fun activities to experiment with for their homeschool science learning (including bubble castles, light shows, and a kid-in-a-bubble). It’s also good for boy scouts working on a badge, or for any kids that love science experiments. These experiments are part of a homeschool science program that I teach, and I promise your kids will love it.

If you pour a few droplets of water onto a sweater or fabric, you’ll notice the water will just sit there on the surface in a ball (or oval, if the drop is large enough). If you touch the ball of water with a soapy finger, the ball disappears into the fibers of the fabric! What happened?

Soap makes water "wetter" by breaking down the water’s surface tension by about two-thirds. The force that keeps the water droplet in a sphere shape is called surface tension. It’s the reason you can fill a cup of water past the brim without it spilling over. Water becomes "wetter" because without soap, it can’t get into the fibers of your clothes to get them clean. That’s why you need soap in the washing machine.

Soap also makes water stretchy. If you’ve ever tried making bubbles with your mouth just using spit, you know that you can’t get the larger, fist-sized spit-bubbles to form completely and detach to float away in the air. Water by itself has too much surface tension, too many forces holding the molecules together. When you add soap to it, they relax a bit and stretch out. Soap makes water stretch and form into a bubble.

The soap molecule looks a lot like a snake – it’s a long chain that has two very different ends. The head of the snake loves water, and the tail end loves dirt. When the soap molecule find a dirt particle, it will wrap its tail around the dirt and hold it there.

To make the best bubbles for teaching homeschool science, you’ll first need to make the best bubble solution. Gently mix together 12 cups cold water in a shallow tub with one cup green Dawn (or clear Ivory) dish soap. If it’s a hot dry day, add a few tablespoons of glycerin. (Glycerin can be found at the drug store.) You can add all sorts of things to find the perfect soap solution: lemon juice, corn syrup, maple syrup, glycerin… to name a few. Each will add its own properties to the bubble solution. (When I teach this class, I have buckets of each variation along with plain dish soap and water so we can compare.)

The absolute best time to make gigantic bubbles is on an overcast day, right after it rains. Bubbles have a thin cell wall that evaporates quickly in direct sun, especially on a low-humidity day. The glycerin adds moisture and deters this rapid thinning of the bubble’s cell wall.

Tip for Teaching Homeschool Science: Keep a box handy with these items inside: paper clips (in two different sizes), rubber bands, dish soap (clear Ivory and green or blue Dawn), straws, string, plastic berry baskets, plastic water bottles, and wire coathangers. Label your box “Bubblology Experiments”. Pull the box out, add kids, and stand back.

Zillions of Tiny Bubbles can be made with strawberry baskets. Simply dip the basket into the bubble solution and twirl around. You can also use plastic six-pack soda can holders.

Trumpet Bubbles are created by using a modified a water bottle. Cut off the bottom of the bottle, dip the large end in the soap solution, put the small end to your lips and blow. You can separate the bubble away from the trumpet by rolling the large end up and away from your bubble.

Bubble Castles are built with a straw and a plate. First, spread bubble solution all over a smooth surface (such as a clean cookie sheet, plate, or table top). Dip one end of a straw in the bubble solution and blow bubbles all over the surface. Make larger domes with smaller ones inside. Notice the bubble changes shape and size when it connects with another.

Stretch and Squish! Get one hand-sized bubble in each hand. Slap them together (so they join, not pop!). What if you join them together s l o w l y?

Light Show is one of the favorites when I teach this class. Find a BIG flashlight and stand it on end (or use a thin one with three clothespins). Rub soap solution all other the bottom of an uncolored plastic lid (like from a coffee can). Balance the lid, soapy side up, on the flashlight (or on the spring-type clothespins). Blow a hemisphere bubble on top of the lid. Find a dark room, turn on the flashlight, and blow gently along the side of the bubble and watch the colors swirl.

Weird Shapes are the simplest way to show how soap makes water stretchy. Dip a rubber band completely in the soap solution and pull it up. Stretch the rubber band using your fingers. Twist and tweak into all sorts of shapes. Note that the bubble always finds a way of filling the shape with the minimum amount of surface area. Make a Moebius Bubble by cutting open a thick rubber band or ½" thick ribbon, give one end a half-twist, and reattach it together.

Polygon Shapes allow you to make square and tetrahedral bubbles. Create different 3D shapes by bending pipe cleaners made into cubes, tetrahedrons, or whatever you wish. Alternatively you can use straws threaded onto string made into 3D triangular shapes. Notice how the film always finds its minimum surface area. Can you make square bubbles?

Gigantic Bubbles Using the straws and string, thread two straws on three feet of string and tie off. Grasp one straw in each hand and dip in soap solution. Use a gentle wind as you walk to make BIG bubbles. Find air thermals (warm pockets of air) to take your bubbles up, up, UP!

Kid-In-A-Bubble In a child’s plastic swimming pool, pour your best bubble solution. Lay a hula hoop down, making sure there is enough bubble solution to just cover the hoop. Have your child stand in the pool (use a stool if you don’t want to get your feet wet), and lift the hoop! For a more permanent project, use an old car tire sliced in half lengthwise (the hard way) to hold the bubble solution.

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Want More Cool Homeschool Science Experiments and Activities?

Rocket-launch your kid’s education by downloading your FREE copy of the Homeschool Science Experiment Activity Guide from the Supercharged Science website: www.SuperchargedScience.com/freestuff.htm

About Author

As a teacher, homeschool science teacher, engineer and university instructor Aurora Lipper has been helping kids learn science for over a decade.

There is so much to be learned in life, sometimes I find myself overwhelmed with all that I do not know. I’ve heard it said, however, that the smartest people are the ones that know that they do not know much. I like that. I like it because I am acutely aware that there is so much that I have yet to discover and understand. I am committed, however, to the process of constantly learning more. My latest subject of fascination has been wondering and learning about earth science.

I haven’t honestly thought that much about earth science since I took a class in it in junior high school. At that time I hated everything to do with science and so I didn’t give much thought one way or another to earth science. I dreadfully made it through that class learning only the basics enough to get by (not the least of which I can remember now).

I’m not quite sure what inspired me to attempt to discover facts about earth science. I guess I began to become more interested in earth science as I had children and they grew up asking question after question. I could barely take them on walks at night without them asking me questions about the ground, the soil, the trees or the sun. I would fumble through answers and try to change the subject quickly as I admitted to myself that I really did not know much. So on my next trip to the library I picked up a few general books on earth science and began learning with my kids.

I have found that learning with my kids has become one of the best ways to grow in knowledge. I utilize their curiosity and take every chance I can at learning with them. It has been a great way for me to learn more about earth science and other things. I never knew how much motherhood would affect me, but I certainly didn’t know how much I would learn because of my children’s hunger for knowledge.

I have learned many things about earth science since our studies have begun. One of the biggest things I have learned is a deeper sense of appreciation for the world I live in. I have grown in amazement and wonder about the way the world works and about my small and insignificant place. I simply am astounded by the intricacies and details of our earth. Earth science has made me even more curious about the world around me.

If you have a craving to learn more about the world you live in, then start with grabbing a few books on earth science. You’ll love learning so much that you won’t be able to stop.

About Author

Analeese Burnabaker has enjoyed the learning that comes with motherhood immensely. She encourages mothers every where to explore great topics like earth science with their kids. See www.earthsciencetimes.info for more.