Remember your first science project? Maybe it was a volcano oozing molten lava, a matchbox car or a rocket ship. Nowadays, kids spend plenty of time doing technological things with their hands, but many parents complain that too much of it is texting, playing video games, and surfing the web.
Igniting kids’ excitement about science requires a bit of creativity, says Eric Zinn, a retired high school science teacher and volunteer at the 92nd Street Y. “Out-of-classroom experiences are critical, especially in science—you’ve got to actually do science to appreciate science,” Zinn says.
Oliver Mitchell, co-owner of Robot Galaxy, agrees. “Not every kid enjoys science in the classroom, but kids love to explore, whether they’re at the beach playing in the sand or looking at the stars in the sky,” he says.
Grace Hwang, program coordinator at the Center For Architecture Foundation, suggests that parents can begin tapping into their child’s inner-Einstein simply by asking them questions about what they find interesting as they walk down the street. “Science is exactly that—making observations about the world around you and coming to conclusions and making theories,” Hwang says.
Educators agree that the best way for parents to pique their child’s interest in science is to demonstrate their own enthusiasm for it. Involve them in hands-on projects—from daily household activities like cooking to spending one-onone time constructing a model airplane or examining insects in the park. Encourage kids to come up with hypotheses and test them, and remind them that discovering that their hypothesis is wrong is a normal part of the scientific process.
Instilling a love of science in kids is well worth the effort, Zinn says. “It’s a joyous experience to see kids’ faces light up when they understand what’s going on.”
