Helpful Techniques to Spark their Interest

Does this sound familiar: You ask your child if they’d like to go outside or visit the science museum, but no interest? They prefer to play games on the phone or chat online. You wish for them to gain interest in the more interesting things in life. To you, going on a bike ride or looking through a telescope, are your ideas of fun.

You wish for them to experience the excitement of science and nature. Nature displays how math and science are an integral part of our world. Having a love of science would help your child excel and you’d like to encourage them to be interested in these fields.

Hands-On Learning

Whether your child shows an interest in plants and animals, or seems to be especially good at computers, hands-on activities are excellent. Things like Legos, or learning about the living things in the Santa Monica Mountains (http://www.lamountains.com/parks_plants.asp) are good examples. Watching videos about robotics can boost your child’s curiosity and get them wanting to explore further. Use online resources to learn about these items first, then try handling them in real life. One idea is to research experiments that can be performed either at home or when out in nature: (https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/20-awesome-diy-science-projects-with-your-kids.html).

Seek out Programs and People

Often, private local high schools offer summer programs that are science-related. They do a great job at getting kids interested in how things work. If any of your friends work in the science field, letting your child meet with them and ask questions. These questions can pique their interest in that field. That friend may, in addition, need their help with a science-related task.

Become Savvy

Most kids are now technologically-oriented, so becoming savvy in that area can allow you to help your child explore further. If you know that your child likes the ideas of robots, for example, research ways that you can build a small robot together. If your child seems to enjoy the garden, make a small area for them to plant their own items and watch them grow. This will demonstrate the details of the life cycle of nature. To spur a general interest in nature, research some concepts of physics that you can explain to your child and learn together how math and nature go hand-in-hand (http://www.planetdolan.com/15-beautiful-examples-of-mathematics-in-nature/2/).

These techniques will likely spark their interest in these areas, while allowing for great quality family time!