How To Grow A Young Scientist

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How To Grow A Young Scientist Misti D.
Schneidewind Department of Chemistry and
Chemical Engineering South Dakota School of Mines
and Technology Rapid City, SD 57701
Integrating Learning Into Daily Life
Children have an innate desire to learn. They
want to know about the world around them. -
Daddy why is the sky blue? - Mommy where does
milk come from?
How Do You Teach A Child? 1. Provide an
environment that stimulates learning. -
children learn from toys that are hands on 2.
Teach the children by example. - children learn
by watching you 3. Use objects familiar to the
children. - children learn about things that
interest them 4. Reward the child for
learning. - children learn more with positive
reinforcement 5. Be patient. - children learn
by exploring 6. Ask a lot of simple
questions. - children learn by thinking 7.
Encourage observation. - children learn by
asking questions
Experiments with Air What you will teach Air is
all around us. Air affects the way things
move. Materials Two pieces of typing paper and a
sturdy chair. What you do Wad up one piece of
paper. Talk about how the pieces of paper are
different. Weigh each piece of paper to show that
they are the same. Climb on the chair and drop
them at the same time. What to talk about Why
one piece of paper fell faster than the other
(pressure, tension).
For young children to understand the answers to
these questions they must be able to test them by
exploration and manipulation. Learning about
science is hands on.
Experiments with Animals What you will teach
Matching. Baby animals look like their
parents. Materials Scissors, glue, posterboard,
magazines. What you do Find pictures of animals
and their babies. Cut the pictures out. Glue the
picture of the adult and the baby on the
posterboard. Cut the paper in a zig-zag down the
middle to make a puzzle piece. Scramble the
pictures up and then have the children match the
pieces back together. What to talk about
Animals, babies and matching.
Experiments with Plants What you will teach
Plants grow in a sequence. Materials Pictures
showing the development of a plant from a seed. A
small glass jar, lima beans, cotton and
water. What you do Allow the child to arrange
the pictures in the order that they think growth
will occur. Put cotton in the bottom of the glass
jar. Put two beans between the cotton and the
glass and two on top of the glass. Dampen the
cotton. Watch the lima bean sprout. What to talk
about Growth.
Learning about science should be fun for the
child and the adult. A positive environment
fosters learning.
Experiments with Water What you will teach Some
objects float in water and some do
not. Materials A shallow pan, eight different
small objects, a picture of an object floating
and an object sinking. What you do Fill the pan
with water. Ask the children which ones will
float. Have the children try it out and sort them
accordingly. What to talk about Floating and
sinking. The differences in the objects.
Materials Needed The materials are all around
us. -rocks - soap - milk cartons - mirrors -
string - tape
References Bubbles, Rainbows and Worms by Sam Ed
Brown Mr. Wizards Supermarket Science by Don
Herbert
Chem 292, Chemistry Outreach Fall 2000 Dr. David
A. Boyles and Dr. M. Steven McDowell