Summer Science

Summer is beginning if not now then soon. Don't let your kids stop learning and exploring. I found this neat blog called "Science with me!" It's a site full of fun ideas and science experiments for kids. What a fun way to spend your summer.

She lists 10 tips for teaching kids science which I thought were very helpful. I have added some thoughts to her ideas to have a fun educational summer.

1. TURN OFF THE TV

2. Make time for Science - Schedule a day of the week or a time every day to do Science. Remember these don't have to be anything fancy, it can be as simple as looking for bugs and watching how they move, or pulling weeds in the garden to see how plants grow, to doing messy experiment in the kitchen.

3. Assemble a Science Kit.

4. Have a Science "Word of the Day" - I would recommend having a new word for them to use everyday.

5. Be Spontaneous - Use the moments you have to teach your kids. If they are helping with the chore of pulling weeds talk about how plans grow and look at the roots.

6. Chat recall - Always ask what they have learned and have them teach someone else. My kids love to tell Grandma and are responsible for telling us what they have learned at the dinner table everyday.

7. Newspapers and TV - Know what's happening so you can use it to your advantage and find a teachable moment.

8. Give them a Choice - Know what they are interested in learning. They will be more cooperative and will learn more if they want to do it.

9. Make it fun! - I call a lot of our Science experiments messy projects because we usually get messy.

10. Bribery- Science with me! recommends using bribery when all else fails. If you must you can always resort to bribery but praise also works of just saying this is the way it is because I'm the mom. If you are making it a fun exciting time and doing things they are interested in you shouldn't have much of a problem, you can also use science time as a reward for doing chores to get them excited for learning.

One of my favorite resources is a book called "Science is..." It is full of neat step by step science projects and experiments. My kids love it when we do activities from this book. It really gets them excited to learn and the book gives you the helps you need to teach them.

Science with me! is also a fun site with easy to do experiments and all the helpful tips you will need.