Want science to really come alive for your kids? Challenge them to invent something.
October 2007
By Holly O'Dell
Some of the most memorable inventions have come from the most unexpected places—from people who weren’t afraid to try out something and see what happens. Take Lonnie Johnson, a mechanical and nuclear engineer and inventor who was tinkering with a new refrigerator heat pump that would use water instead of Freon. He attached the pump to his bathroom sink and watched it shoot a powerful blast of water across the room. Thus, the genesis of the Super Soaker, the weapon of choice for backyard warriors.
Let these success stories motivate your children. Because inventions, and even the mistakes that often accompany them, are the foundation for a great science education.
| More Ways To Explore |
| Bright Idea | Treasure Hunt | Tower Power |
| Can your child light up a Christmas light? Gather a 1.5V D- or AA-size battery, two small strips of electrical tape, and a six-inch segment from a string of old Christmas lights. Using wire cutters, first cut the plug off for safety, then cut three inches on either side of a bulb. With the wire cutters, carefully strip the last quarter-inch of plastic off the end of each wire, leaving the wires exposed. Have your child try to make a simple circuit and “turn on” the light. By taping one wire to the positive end of the battery and one wire to the negative end, she will allow electricity to flow from the battery to the light and back to the battery. Talk about how electricity is used throughout your home and how to use it safely. | Can your child move objects without touching them? Have your child place several objects (paper clip, screw, marble, penny, nail) on a paper plate and move a magnet underneath the plate. Will he be able to move these objects simply using a magnet? A magnet’s force field can penetrate objects like a paper plate, but only objects that contain iron will be attracted to the magnet. Have him pick his favorite metal object, layer two paper plates and again try to move the object with the magnet underneath the plates. How many plates can he stack before the magnet is too far from the object and can’t move it anymore? | Can your child build a tower with toothpicks and marshmallows? Challenge him to create triangles by joining toothpicks and marshmallows, connecting the triangles using other toothpicks to create a tower. Try balancing a napkin, deck of cards, or a small book. Will the tower hold it? The more your child can equally balance the weight of the object so that one part of the tower doesn’t have to work harder than another, the more likely he is to support the object. Have him add another layer or two and test the tower at each stage. Can he build a tower out of squares? Is it stronger or weaker? Why? What makes the strongest, tallest tower: squares, triangles, or a combination? It’s okay if he fails because with each step he learns something new. |
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