Raising Future Scientists — What You Need to Know
Click here to help expose your future scientist to a great story and fun experiments you can try. The campaign for the book, Marie Curie and the Power of Persistence runs from June 1 — July 4, 2017.
Scientists ask a lot of questions. In fact, formulating new questions is what they are paid to do every day. Young children are curious by nature and are natural-born learners.
Between the ages of 5–7 years, children can learn to measure ingredients, can recognize opposites, is interested in the difference between truth and lies, and will have a long enough attention span for hearing stories read aloud. All of these qualities make this age range perfect for cultivating a love for science.
The good news is that as a parent, you don’t need to be a scientist to raise a scientist—you only need to know how to teach your child to think critically and ask good questions. Following our tips below will help.
Tips to nurture your future scientist
- Introduce your child to the scientific method without them knowing
Younger kids don’t need to know all of the steps of the scientific method but you can walk your kids using a simple demonstration of wind resistance and gravity. Walk them through each step of the scientific method by asking them:
- “Okay, so what is it that we want to know? We want to know which falls faster: a rock or a leaf from the top of the stairs?”
- “What do you think is going to happen? Have you seen anything that might give you a clue?”
- “Let’s test it out. Go find the perfect rock and a leaf.”
- Do the experiment.
- “What did we learn? Which hit the ground first? Why do you think that happened?”
- “What two objects could we let fall that might hit the ground at the same time? Why?”
And so on. You can see how easy it is to show your kids the process of the scientific method without ever mentioning the words “hypothesis,” “data,” or “conclusions.” Once they get the hang of developing a new question and testing it, you’ll be amazed at how many new questions they form on their own.
2. Admit when you don’t have (or know) the answer
One of the first lessons every scientist experience is that “you don’t know what you don’t know” and there are lots of questions with unknown answers. Admitting you don’t have all of the answers boosts your credibility with your child and it encourages them to feel comfortable asking tough(er) questions. It can be fun to say, “I don’t know the answer but someone probably does. Let’s look it up when we get home,” and show them how they can research the answers to their questions.
Admitting that there are experts in the field who know more than you do is another great chance to not only be an excellent role model to your future scientist but to introduce them to other positive role models in the scientific field.
3. Reassure them that failure is part of the process
Scientists understand that there are lessons in every mistake. Statistically insignificant results or results that neither clearly support or reject our null hypothesis are still useful when it comes to contributing to that field of learning. While all scientists are hoping for a major breakthrough, those are more elusive. Failure isn’t something to be feared as long as one can improve and use those results to inform a future experiment or study.
In the book, The Gift of Failure, Jessica Lahey explains that wonderful things happen when children experience failure: they develop autonomy, resilience, and an increased self-esteem. Yes, failing actually improves self-esteem.
Not only do children become more well-rounded after failure but these future scientists will have the motivation and self-confidence they need to challenge themselves in school. (Besides, if they ever intend to write a scientific grant proposal in their future, they need to become accustomed to receiving and overcoming numerous rejections.)
4. Expose them to role models in science
Believe it or not, but exposing kids, especially girls, to role models in science can be a tricky endeavor. In the 2013 article, Science: it’s a role model thing, Chris Gunter reports, “Data suggest that the type of role model presented actually matters.” In 2012, 74% of high school girls indicated interest in STEM fields to the Girl Scout Research Institute. Yet, despite the high percentage of girls interested in STEM, 57% believed that ‘they’d have to work harder than a man just to be taken seriously.’ They don’t believe that employers in STEM want to hire women.
“Data suggest that the type of role model presented actually matters.” —Chris Gunter
To reverse the stereotype that women will perform worse than men despite working harder than men, we must expose both our boys and girls to a wide range of STEM role models. Some great books are doing this already like STEM Gems by Stephanie Espy, Wonder Women by Sam Maggs, Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky.
All of those books are aimed at the pre-high school, young adult readers but there is a new book that is targeting younger children between the ages of 5–9 years called, Marie Curie and the Power of Persistence. This book combines comic superhero style with interesting historical facts about Marie Curie to bring this famous female STEM role model to life for our kids today.
Click here if you want your future scientist to read a great story and try out fun experiments together. Test out that new explanation of the scientific method with them and see how much fun it is! The campaign ends on July 4, 2017 so don’t miss out on these great extras!
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