Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Do parents need to do more homework when it comes to children’s science lessons?

Kids can ask the most awkward questions. First up there’s the obvious ‘where do babies come from’ poser that can reduce most grown-ups to a jabbering wreck. And then there’s the rather loud ones, usually accompanied with a pointing finger and a stare, about people you might pass by in the mall. Mums and dads will generally try and answer each and every question the best they can.

But new research has shown that our worst nightmare is when questions are to do with homework - and in particular,
science-related lessons.

We know that talking about science at home will make a huge difference to our little ones’ progress at school.

But it transpires that 18 per cent of parents polled actively avoid talking to their children about science.

Only 32 per cent regularly talk to their kids about how science works in everyday life, such as explaining why steam comes out of a boiling kettle.

The poll of 1,000 parents, conducted by social networking site ‘Mumsnet’, showed that a large number of mums and dads simply felt underqualified to help their kids learn science. And former primary school teacher Meg Post believes many parents are afraid of giving the wrong answers to questions.

But Post, who now teaches primary-age children at Shell Education Service science workshops, has urged us all to experiment with science in a bid to help our next generation.

She says: “It’s not really a question of the right answers. You can look those up together. It’s about introducing a new way of thinking to your children.

Even expert scientists have areas of science where they don’t know the answers it’s a very big field.” It’s heartening to think that even the scientists can still be baffled, and there’s now help at hand for any parent who shudders at the memory of the dreaded ‘periodic table of elements’ at school.

Multinational petroleum company Shell has created a free, downloadable booklet called ‘Activate’ in a bid to help us all get to grips with science through some fun experiments at home.

The booklet contains a series of easy experiments that parents and children can try at home, including growing crystals, creating a home version of the spin dryer, and building an explosive soft drink fountain, courtesy of a fizzy drink and a few mints.

Post believes home is the perfect place to start for kids. She says: “The booklet contains experiments that you can do at home, and that you might have noticed at home.

From that you can look up what's happened at a level that's accessible to your child. We need scientists and engineers for the future, and we need to start them young with an interest in science, and without a fear of it. “It’s a fascinating field, and it’s so essential that children take it up.

Children have a natural curiosity about the world around them that you should foster from when they’re very tiny.

“Prompt your children’s curiosity, try things out - especially if you don’t mind making a bit of a mess - and enjoy them together.”

Post admits parents may need to ‘water down’ their answers if they are trying to deal with little ones. But she still thinks that home is where some of the best lesson can be learned.

“You need to choose your material well, and it’s much easier to start with something that’s in front of you, and work on that,” she explains. You can’t water it down so much that it’s inaccurate though.

Everything that goes on in a kitchen could be linked to science, like steam coming off a boiling pan. It’s in front of parents and children all the time, and very accessible.”

:: The Activate booklet can be downloaded by visiting www.shell.com. Go to the web site, enter the United Kingdom portal and simply download from there