science-projects

The Metric System - Conquer Your Fear

2006-08-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Metric System! Do you feel stress and anxiety just hearing those words?

If so, you are not alone. But don't worry, learning and using the metric system really isn't as difficult as you may fear. And there are many resources available to help you.

The metric system is an international system of weights and measures, based on the meter as a unit of length, and the gram as the unit of weight. The decimal system (powers of 10) is used to describe larger and smaller multiples of these basic units. Other measurements are derived from these basic units.

To describe measurements larger than the base unit, the most common prefixes are:
• kilo- thousand
• mega- million

For measurements smaller than the base unit, the common prefixes are:
• deci- tenth
• centi- hundredth
• milli- thousandth

So, for example, 1 meter equals 10 decimeters, or 100 centimeters, or 1000 millimeters. And 1 kilometer equals 1000 meters. In the same way, a kilogram equals 1000 grams. Since we are familiar with powers of 10, it should simply be a matter of learning the prefixes once, and then applying them to all of the different units.

The more difficult part, for most people, is getting a feel for the size of metric measurements in comparison to the standard or U.S. customary units with which we are familiar.

Here are some approximate comparisons that may help:

• 1 liter is a little more than 1 quart (Think of the common 2 liter soda bottles.)

• 4 liters is just over 1 gallon

• 1 meter is a little more than 1 yard or 3 feet.

• 1 inch is about 2.5 centimeters (2 and one-half centimeters)

• 30 centimeters is about 1 foot

• 1 kilometer is a little over half a mile

• 1 kilogram is a little more than 2 pounds

• 1 gram is about the weight of a paper clip, and a nickle weighs about 5 grams

There may be times when you need to convert between metric and U.S. customary units. Don't worry, there are many tools you can use to make it easier. If you have access to the internet, there are web sites that will do the metric conversion on-line for you. If you need to do these kinds of calculations on a regular basis, you can buy special calculators that will make your task quick and easy. There are books and charts listing conversion factors and tables. When facing this challenge, there is no reason to be overwhelmed. Remember to take advantage of all of the resources available to help you.

2006-05-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

What Is Science?

Science is more than just a collection of facts. Young children should understand that science is also a process of learning about the world. The process includes:

- Observing the world around you.

- Predicting what might happen.

- Testing your prediction to see if it is right.

- Explaining and understanding your observations.

Science does not provide all the answers, expecially not the first time around. It requires trial and error, and an open mind.

Children form their ideas about how the world works from their personal experiences. These ideas may or may not be accurate. We must lead them gently towards the right answers, and let them ask questions and make mistakes without feeling stupid.

A hands-on approach works best for most children, especially younger ones. It helps them learn critical thinking and problem solving skills.

You may be tempted to try teaching your child a little bit about a lot of different topics. But it may be best to introduce just a few subjects at a time, and let them explore those topics in more depth.

Its important to find the right activity and approach for your child. What interests a younger child may be boring to an older one. make sure the activity is not too hard nor too easy. If you are not sure, start with an easier project to avoid discouraging the child. And allow your child to help pick the project. They will learn more if they are interested in the topic.

Teaching kids science

2006-04-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

Getting kids interested in science at an early age is very important. It's easier than you think. Science does not have to be something mysterious. It is happening all around us, and you can use everyday things to encourage your children's interest and knowledge.

Most parents believe that they can't help their children with science. But you don't need a advanced scientific degree to teach young children science. All you need is a willingness to try, to observe the world, and to take the time to encourage their natural curiosity.

You can help by having a positive attitude toward science yourself. Then start simply by asking your child questions about the things you see every day. Why do you think that happened? How do you think that works? And then listen to their answer without judging it or judging them. Listening without judging will improve their confidence, and help you determine just what your child does or does not know.

You can turn every day activities into science projects. For example, don't just comment on how bright the moon is one night. Ask questions about why it's brighter tonight, why does it change shape, etc. You can observe the moon's phases throughout a month, and turn that activity into a science project, without even mentioning the words "science project". The same thing with simple activities like baking a cake. Why does the cake rise? What happens if you forget to put in some ingredient? Voila! Instant science project idea, without being intimidating to you or your child.

Try it and see for yourself how easy it is the spark the interest of a child.

2006-04-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

"Mom, I have a science project due!"

Those may be the most dreaded words that your kid may utter (unless, of course, they ask for help with math homework).

But those words do not have to strike fear into your heart. There is a lot of general science help available online. I've spent a lot of time helping my own kids, and now I'm here to help you wade through the overwhelming number of sites dealing with science projects and science fair projects.

First, if you have waited for the last minute, all is not lost. Try these easy science projects that you can do in one day, with materials you have around the house, or can easily find at the grocery, hardware or office supply store. They even come with step by step directions and photos.

To supplement to your school or home school science curriculum, try Science Made Simple. The site offers science projects, answers to questions like "Why is the sky blue?" and "How do batteries work?" and a free newsletter detailing great science sites. Even help with metric conversions.

Keep in mind that science projects really are good learning experiences for your kids. And it can be fun if you approach it the right way. Here is an interesting article on the topic of making science fun:

Science Can be Fun
By Kanchan Bodas

In today’s high-tech society it is important that children develop an interest in science at an early age and see that science is a part of our lives. By becoming comfortable with science at an early age, children can reap many long term benefits. Getting children interested in science does not take a lot of time and effort. Their natural curiosity will ease the way. Making it fun is the key element. The learning process in children happens through play. During play the world is not so threatening. Kids feel safe, secure and capable. They explore on their own. There is an old Chinese saying:
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember
I do and I understand.

Information and knowledge gained from hands- on activities and self discovery remains in the long term memory.

There is no need for a special place or equipment for teaching science to kids. Most of the materials and equipment needed can be obtained in home, school, grocery store or local hardware store. Science activity can be carried out with a single kid or group of kids. It can be carried out whenever you want or wherever you want. For example when there is nothing to do and kids are bored. When the weather outside is not friendly. It can be carried out in the kitchen, in the garden, nature hikes, beach trips etc..

Science experiments in our house started in the kitchen. One day when I was baking cookies, my kids were helping. Curious as usual, they started asking questions. “Why do we add sugar?” “Why do we add eggs?” “Why do we have to add baking powder?” At that moment a bulb lighted in my head. We made some cookies without baking powder and compared. This became a hobby. We started experimenting with lot of things, sometimes purely on impulses. But we sure enjoyed that time. Some examples that quickly come to mind are: a) one day when we were folding laundry, some clothes had static. They made small cracking noises and stuck. We had fun learning and experimenting with lot of other things that produce static electricity. b) When we had gone to the beach we started talking about the sea/ocean water being salty and how salt is extracted from the sea water. Kids brought some sea water back home and placed it in sunlight in a shallow tray. In 2-3 days the water evaporated and they collected the salt crystals. The satisfaction in self discovery is incomparable. Without any prompting from me kids also experimented if saltwater freezes faster or tap water.

Looking at their interest, pretty soon me and my friend got together and started doing planned experiments with our children in a group setting. Kids enjoyed them and looked forward to the experiment days. Volcanoes and slimes were a lot of fun. When we did an experiment on coloring daisies, (white daisies if placed in colored water, pick up that color. In a few hours their petals start showing the color in the water) it did not end there. Pretty soon more flowers got experimented on and then came the question “Why some flowers pick up colors faster than the others?” One day while we were weeding in the garden we had an amusing finding. There were lots of Lady Bugs on one particular type of weed. That led us to the information on how and why certain bugs favor certain plants or animals. Similarly different kinds of rocks found in the garden piqued kids interest and we ended up doing a project on rocks.

I was happy to see that I had achieved what I was aiming for: 1) Questioning of observed events leading to finding information. 2) Promotion of independent thinking and reasoning process in the versatile young minds.

This first step “Science is fun” can be followed by the next more exciting step, where kids learn that “Science is also an adventure and challenge.” It often requires some detective work and it requires learning of a methodical step by step approach to solve problems. This approach is called “The scientific method.” The steps in a scientific method can be roughly outlined as follows. 1) If you have to solve a problem start by collecting data. Read books, talk to people, and make observations. 2) Brainstorm- Spend time looking over and understanding the information collected. Have discussions if you are working in a team. 3) Make predictions. 4) Design and carry out experiments. 5) Analyze your results and derive conclusions.

It is a lot more fun to do these activities in a group or as a team. Parents or friends can be very good companions. As kids grow up participation in “science fairs” can also bring a good learning experience.

So parents get involved with your kids science activities and share with them the excitement of being a scientist and an explorer. Kids will know that science can be fun. Once they get interested they will keep thinking, investigating and inventing for ever.

Dr. Kanchan Bodas is a caring parent and editor of Springboard Magazine. http://www.springboardmagazine.com is an online educational magazine for children 3-9 years of age. There are lots of fun educational games to learn math and language, Science experiments and essays, Stories with audio, art and craft projects, coloring pages, general knowledge and much more. The format is easy to use and designed to stimulate creativity and learning in children.The magazine is free. Past issues are archived in a database.

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