Science for Kids - Projects, Experiments and Ideas!


Why is the sky blue?
Why do things fall to the ground?
How do seeds grow?
What makes sound and music?
Where do mountains come from?

Young children ask their parents hundreds of questions like these. In search of answers, we use science to both enlighten and delight.

As parents, we must prepare our kids for a world vastly different from the one in which we grew up. In the next century, this country will need citizens with more training in science and technology than most of us had in school.

Even kids who don't want to be scientists, engineers, or computer technicians will need science to cope with their rapidly changing environment. But without our help, our kids will not be prepared for these changes.

Here we suggest ways you can interest your kids in science from about 3 to 10 years old. Many of these science activities for kids cost little or nothing and require no special equipment.

Easy science experiments for kids
Fun science experiments for kids
Simple science experiments for kids
Science projects for kids at home


Science for Kids Starts at Home


We play a crucial role in determining how much science our kids learn. Our enthusiasm and encouragement for science can spark kids interest. Fortunately, kids of all ages are curious and love to investigate. And the earlier we encourage this curiosity, the more science kids will grasp.

Scientific knowledge is cumulative, so kids need to start learning science early - at home. Many of us assume that kids will learn all the science they need at school. The fact is that most kids, particularly in elementary school, are taught very little science.

How You Can Kids With Science


As parents, we don't have to have a strong background in science to help our kids learn science. What's far more important than knowing what sound is or how a telescope works, is having a positive attitude about science for kids.

Every day is filled with opportunities to learn science - without expensive chemistry sets or books. Kids can easily be introduced to the natural world and encouraged to observe what goes on around them.

Together, parents and children can --
  • See how long it takes for a dandelion or a rose to burst into full bloom;
  • Watch the moon as it appears to change shape over the course of a month, and record the changes;
  • Watch a kitten grow into a cat.
  • Bake a cake;
  • Guess why one of your plants is drooping; or
  • Figure out how the spin cycle of the washing machine gets the water out of the clothes.
Learning to observe objects carefully is an important step leading to scientific explanations. Experiencing the world together and exchanging information about what we see are important with helping kids understand science too.

A nasty head cold can even be turned into a chance for kids to learn science. We can point out that there is no known cure for a cold, but that we do know how diseases are passed from person to person. Or we can teach some ways to stay healthy - such as washing our hands, not sharing forks, spoons, or glasses, and covering our nose and mouth when we sneeze or cough.

Science for Kids - Questioning and Listening


We should encourage our kids to ask questions. A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in physics, "Why did you become a scientist, rather than a doctor or lawyer or businessman, like the other immigrant kids in your neighborhood?" Rabi responded:
My mother made me a scientist without ever intending it. Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: "So? Did you learn anything today?" But not my mother. She always asked me a different question. "Izzy," she would say, "did you ask a good question today?" That difference - asking good questions - made me become a scientist!
If we can't answer all of our children's questions, that's all right - no one has all the answers, even scientists. And kids don't need lengthy, detailed answers to all of their questions. We can propose answers, test them out, and check them with someone else. The library, or even the dictionary, can help answer questions.

We can also encourage our kids to tell us their ideas and listen to their explanations. Being listened to will help them to gain confidence in their thinking and to develop their skills and interest in science. Listening helps us to determine just what kids know and don't know. (It also helps the child figure out what he or she knows.)

Simple activities can help to demystify science - and we will suggest some of these later. But children also need to learn some basic information about science and about how to think scientifically. The following section contains information for parents that can point our children toward this goal.




Raising Our Kids



Help your child learn
- Learn to read and write
- Early childhood math
- Math for K-5
- Science for kids
- Preschool children





Preschool children

Learn to read and write

Math activities

Science for kids

Elementary math

[an error occurred while processing this directive]