Have you ever noticed the most favorite question of your child?
If you have noticed, it must be either ‘Why’ or at least start with ‘Why’. Curiosity is the natural instinct of children. As a parent, one can harness this natural instinct and introduce science in a fun and exciting way to the child. After all, science is majorly trying to answer the question ‘why’. For example,
– why there are days and nights?
– why there are seasons?
– why some plants grow from seeds while some grow from stem?
– why is an electromagnet a temporary magnet?
How can we make science fun and exciting for children?
Science is exciting by itself. And, children are curious by nature. All it requires to make science fun and exciting is just an encouragement. Many of our little ones love involvement and recognition. Be it in your garage or in your kitchen, involve your little one. He may have a thousand questions for you, but answer him patiently. Do not forget to ask a few questions back to him. Go for a picnic and do some science tricks matching to his age. Make sure that you astonish him with your tricks, but remember to explain the science behind your trick. Here are a few tricks that you can perform for your beginner (age 4 – 7) to introduce the fun of science.
1. Fizz Inflation of Balloons
Balloons are always fun. Children love balloons on almost all occasions. Well, inflating balloons for a party is a pain. Show your child a trick to inflate balloons using vinegar and baking soda. All you have to do is put some baking soda in a bottle and pour in some vinegar. Fix the balloon to the neck of bottle and you will see the balloon inflating by itself.
2. Orange Peel Balloon Pop
Inflating a balloon is now fun and easy. Why don’t you try popping a few balloons and thrill the little ones on your picnic? This experiment is even simpler. Peel an orange and share the fruit with your family. Take a piece of peel and squeeze it to spray a jet of juice on to an inflated balloon. Pop! Explain why the orange peel juice pops a balloon to your child.
3. Make a Few Puncture-proof Balloons
You have inflated a few balloons and popped a few. Now let us make a few balloons puncture proof. You can do this with the help of a cellotape. Stick a small strip of cellotape on an inflated balloon and pierce a pin or two through taped portion of the balloon. Your child will surely ask you ‘why’. Do not forget to explain why.
4. Spooky Toothpicks
Simpler yet fun. Break a few toothpicks but do not separate. Use a dropper and drop a few drops of water on the broken ends of the toothpick to see they move without your physical intervention. Spooky, is it not?
5. Corrosive Effect of Fizzy Drinks
Experts say fizzy drinks are unhealthy for children. Let’s not drink it but we can always do experiments with it. Take a few coins (dull and stained) and try washing them in your favourite fizzy drink. Show how the dull coins changed themselves to shiny ones.
