If you are a parent or a Science teacher, then you are always on the look out for everyday objects or situations that you can use to demonstrate the concepts that kids are learning inside the classroom. The more ordinary and commonplace the example, the easier it is for children to relate to.
Finding examples and projects that we can use it always so easy though. Often, the best examples are so common and so much a part of our lives that we no longer stop to look at the science that makes it work. And so, to find science project ideas in everyday objects, we need to scan our environment with a fresh perspective.
Here are Some Tips that You can use to Help You Spot the Extraordinary in the Ordinary:
Tip #1: Keep On Asking Why and how
Question everything that you use, from the moment you wake up to the moment you sleep. Why do steam rise up from your coffee mug? Boiling water triggers a physical change in the state of the water. But cooking food constitutes a chemical change. Why is this so?
Tip #2: Go Back in Time
The best experiments of all time are always interesting starting points when looking for science project ideas to engage kids. This is because back then, when these discoveries were just being made, they had to make do with tools and equipment that are less powerful than the ones we have today. Not only that, the back stories behind the scientists themselves are often very interesting and can be something that makes kids realize that science is something that is ongoing, and something that they can also do and contribute to.
One place you can go to for inspiration is the ebook. It consists of a series of 5 ebooks that talks about the concepts discussed in elementary science (grades 1 to 5) which includes a look back into the amazing historical experiments and the human stories behind these experiments. It also gives examples of simple science project ideas that you can do in the classroom or at home. For more information, you can check it out here:
Tip #3: Look at what Kids are into these Days
What are the kids into these days? Is it a new cartoon, or a new computer game? Whatever it is, look at it and the things associated with it and you will be surprised to see the science behind those them. If the most popular cartoon is set in a different galaxy, you can use that as a starting point in your discussion on gravity and the reason why different planets have different gravities, or why the planets in our solar system go around the sun, which is the most massive body in our system.
