Teaching a love of science When you learn science you build on what you already know. Children need to start learning early, at home, so that they have a firm base of knowledge to build on when they get to school. As parents, what's important is that we share the knowledge we have with our children. Science is in everyday activities: cooking, washing dishes, growing plants. So, look around the house and out the windows and see that science is everywhere. Here are some things you can do: • Ask your children questions: How do you think the clock works? Why does a bird make a nest and what is the nest made of? How does electricity help us everyday? • Have children look at what's happening around them and have them write down what they see. • Have your children make predictions about the weather or how fast a plant will grow or how high a piece of paper will fly with the wind. Have your children then test to see if their hunches are correct. • Remind your child that it may take many tries before you get an answer. Keep trying. • Have your children start collections of shells, rocks, or bugs, so that they can see similarities and patterns. • Have your child look at how things are different. He or she can look around the neighborhood to see the different animals and plants that live and grow there. • Help your child look at what causes things to change. What happens when a plant doesn't have water or sunlight? Science activities: Bubbles for young children Creepy Crawlies! for beginning scientists Plants and Light for more advanced scientists Source: Helping Your Child Learn Science. For more information, please contact the National Library of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208, telephone 1-800-424-1616.