We’ve all heard the news. Students in the United States are falling behind students in many other countries in the areas of math and science. This is concerning for many reasons. In today’s fast-past, high-technology world, our children need to be well versed in math and science. Have you read the book “The World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman? Mr. Friedman will tell you how interconnected our world is becoming, due to the technology available today. It is imperative that our children are able to communicate and compete on the same level as children from other countries.
Also, I believe, math and science stretches the imagination. It leads us to look at the world around us in new ways, and to ask questions we never thought of asking. In my opinion, our world today could use some new ideas and ways of looking at some of the issues we face.
My two girls have been blessed with their father’s gift of a mathematical brain. They both love math, and it comes to them very easy. However, they will tell you that they don’t like science. This makes my husband and I cringe! We decided that they don’t really dislike science, they just don’t realize that it’s all around them, and that it can be a lot of fun.
So, last year for her birthday, we got my oldest daughter a science kit. It came with a little book of experiments to do with two liter soda pop bottles and a few other gadgets. She loved it. She spent several evenings with her father making balloons blow up, and coins fly around the room.
A couple of years ago, we received a bag of hand-me-down toys from a friend. In it was a microscope kit. My youngest daughter discovered the toy in the basement, and started collecting all kinds of things to look at in the microscope. She talked her grandpa (a chemist by trade) into helping her with this project. They spent hours looking at blades of grass, strands of hair, and fly’s wings under the microscope.
I also have a delightful nephew who is wise beyond his years and the most creative child I know. He is nearly five years old, and his favorite thing to play is “scientist”. He is constantly carrying his clipboard around with him and “writing down” what he observes. He received several science kits for Christmas – magnetism, plant science, animal science, chemistry. You name it, he got it! He is in heaven making his magnets jump, watching his plants grow, and learning more about worms and frogs.
So, take the initiative and inspire the children around you to explore science. You never know, they may be the ones to discover how to heat our homes using nothing but grass clippings!