Sparking kids’ curiosity

Penny Chatfield was one of two Super Teachers who won the chance to attend the Space Exploration Educators conference in Houston, Texas in early February.

A huge advocate of getting kids engaged in science, Penny is keen to encourage parents to do what they can to spark their children’s interest in this area and has put together some useful tips.

Check out her top tips for parents below.

1. Make it hands on

Give kids the opportunity to get hands-on with science – even if it gets messy. Use ingredients from your pantry, like baking soda and vinegar, to make a volcano. Something as simple as making jelly teaches kids about solids, liquids and gases. Brushing up on the science behind your experiments using Google will help you explain what’s going on.

2. Keep it real​

Get kids engaged in science by taking them out and about to explore. A trip to a museum or an aquarium is full of opportunities to talk about what they’re seeing. A walk through the park, bush or beach is an opportunity to talk about native flora and fauna. Observing and talking while you explore helps make science feel real for kids.

3. Don’t underestimate kids!

Don’t underestimate kids when you’re explaining things to them. Kids are like sponges, they’ll absorb everything you say, and bring that knowledge back into the classroom. Finding opportunities to explain things in detail will help make concepts stick – for example, when you pass a mountain in the car, try explaining how it was formed.