Science At Large

October 2007 Special Sections

Think of scientific learning as a chain reaction.

Nurturing curiosity introduces children to science, which in turn makes them want to learn more.

Experimentation creates new opportunities for discovery. And discovery helps explain science’s broader impact on our lives.

Two simple questions can help encourage kids toward deeper inquiry: pick an object and ask where it came from and what people did before it was invented. The possibilities are endless—eyeglasses, toothbrushes, shoes, vehicle airbags, cell phones—and the answers fascinating.

Perhaps the best way to get children thinking about the role of science is to talk about how it affects them and how they affect it.

Recycling is a good example. “If you just say ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ to your children, they can parrot that back, but that’s not really science,” says Kirsten Ellenbogen of the Science Museum of Minnesota. “The more you help children understand not just what we recycle, but   why we do it and how we decided that it was a good thing to do, the more you engage them in science.”

Everyday habits provide plenty of prospects for exploring the impact of science. Ask your children why they think you want them to wear sunscreen when they’re outdoors. Why don’t plants or animals have to wear sunblock, but people do? What does SPF mean? Does your sunscreen come off in the water—why or why not? What is a UV ray? What can happen to your skin if you don’t wear sunscreen? Is just your skin affected? How do doctors treat skin cancer and does sunscreen prevent its occurrence?

Or devise a way to gauge how much water your children use each time they brush their teeth. Do they leave the water run while they brush? What happens if they turned off the faucet? How much water would that save over the course of a day? Month? Year? How does one person’s teeth-brushing habit affect the planet?

It helps when kids can put a human face to science. When Clark Erickson, science specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education, was a teacher, one of his students was captivated by the story of a scientist who emigrated from China. “I suggested we call the scientist,” Erickson says. “The student had an alarmed look on her face, as if she wondered whether we could actually do that. But we now have more chances than ever to connect with people all over the world.”

When kids piece together how science impacts their daily lives, science becomes less daunting. They begin to ask questions without prompting by mom or dad. They grasp scientific applications at work in the world today and wonder how things will function in the future. They take initiative to conduct experiments of their own. They use deductive reasoning. Even if they don’t pursue a career in science, engineering, or technology as adults, chances are they will use scientific concepts and principles in their chosen field. They’ll truly understand why science matters, a principle that will guide them through the rest of their lives.