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Science is all around us, and we as a family believe that it is so important to help our girls learn as much about science as possible. We look for everyday opportunities to share with them science lessons like these. Thank you to Bayer’s Making Science Make Sense for sponsoring this post.
We have been so lucky when it comes to Emmy’s education.
Her school the past couple of years has not only been understanding, but also encouraged us to travel with her. Her teacher knew that some of the best learning moments are from experiences not just from a traditional classroom experience. When Emmy was learning about the first settlers to America, she was doing it in Jamestown. She learned about mining towns in Park City Utah and about Native Americans where they actually walked in Arizona.
Because it is summertime, and she is out of school, we are expanding her learning to encompass science too, and we are doing it in the same way with real-life experiences. Pete and I are showing her the ways that science is important in all of our lives, and how we use it each and every single day. With these little lessons, she is learning how things work and why, and STEM is such an important subject to learn in and out of school.
I know that many of my friends talk about how they don’t feel that STEM subjects are getting enough time in their children’s classroom learning and that they too are supplementing the learning experience. Thankfully we are not the only ones that recognize this much needed area of learning our kids’ needs. Bayer created a company-wide, award-winning initiative called Making Science Make Sense® (MSMS) that advances science literacy across the United States. MSMS allows students to learn science by doing science through hands-on, inquiry-based experiences that involve observing, experimenting, hypothesizing, analyzing and testing. Bayer creates exciting, hands-on lessons for kids starting in elementary school to ignite their scientific curiosity at a young age. Studies show that this timing is the best chance to get students interested in the subject and to foster their science literacy skills. I know from personal experience that the younger the kids are when they start to learn about this the better!
With this in mind, we decided to share some really easy ways that we are teaching Emmy about science in our everyday life all in just one morning.
Today it was dentist day for us. The five of us all go at the same time and Emmy loves her dentist so she looks forward to these visits. The dentist is awesome about explaining everything to her, and there were so many opportunities to talk about science. We just chose one today, the protective vest that she wears when she gets x-rays of her teeth. We explained how radiation works and how it can be both harmful and helpful and that this blue vest actually protects the parts that are covered from receiving any radiation. She immediately came home and wanted to research radiation and x-rays more!
Another place to teach science is at the gas station. You can explain how liquids and gasses work while pumping gas, or as we did today, about the benefits of having properly inflated tires can help with gas mileage and safety. Emmy was also intrigued that there is a gadget that measures tire pressure. I think it is still really interesting that you can measure something you can’t see, like air!
Back at home Emmy wanted to go for a swim, so we checked in on the pool to see what temperature it was, and we talked about how the sun warms it and how it also loses water to evaporation. We let Emmy turn the water on to fill it up, and we showed her how much had evaporated from the last time we filled it up. We have found that seeing things like this really helps her to understand why we need a really good understanding of science to take care of ourselves, our families, our communities and homes.
After that, we had a quick lesson as we started to cook lunch using the stovetop as an example of how gas can burn, and how the different color flames mean different things. The kitchen is such a great place to teach unlimited lessons on science.
Even when you don’t have time to construct a huge science experiment, we have found that our days are filled with mini lessons that our kids all enjoy learning. These lessons are laying a solid science foundation for their futures!
I love this post so much! The best way for kids to learn anything is through real world experiences.
My kids preferred learning through real life experiences. We used to go to a children’s STEM museum near us during the summer and during school breaks.
Real life experiences are the best kind for kids to learn! Great post!
This is so fun! There are great ways to teach our kids everyday, I didn’t realize it had a name, STEM!
I learn better through life experiences myself, so I totally get this. I try to do this with my kids as much as possible, too.
STEM subjects are so important and I like the idea of teaching with real-world experiences. That’s a very effective method.
Perfect! This is what parenting is about. Not just corralling children, but giving them experiences like no other and educating them. Awesome job.
Learning through experience is the most memorable way! Simple lessons can be taught through every-day living and it’s clear that you are making the most of that concept. Way to go! Science is so much fun and it’s fun to share that with our kids!
Nothing compares to real life experiences. At all. I find my kids learn better that way as did I as a kid. This is wonderful and more people need to do it!
There’s nothing better than an interactive experience to help kids learn. Children weren’t made to sit and read out of boring textbooks.
Summer has been the best time to take my kid on hikes and to teach her about nature. I’ve grown up in the city, so it’s also a learning experience for me.
Having your kids learn through real life experiences is so important. There are so many things they can learn everyday.
I think that kids learn more when they are doing something like this hands on and taking it in. Also it’s a great memory moment too!
That’s so great! I love it when activities at home become learning experiences for the kids. You cannot underestimate the value of a good education.
I love to find ways we can teach the kids when we are out and about. We homeschool and this breaks up the day.
This is a great post! I remember teaching my son about his teeth and seeing how amazed he was when they fell out.
I think learning through experience is the best way to learn. Everyone can learn so much more that way. I really love all these science ideas and having kids learn by hands on.
Great teaching moments! Emmy has awesome teachers that let her education go beyond the classroom. She’s lucky to have the best of both worlds. Her teachers and loving parents who seek out the best learning opportunities!
My kids love Science. They have always been fascinated to learn how things work. It is fantastic your Daughters teacher is so supportive.
I have been adding STEM activities for my kids to do. I think Science is so important for kids to develop a passion for.
I never realized how many science lessons can be found in the every day experiences. I’m going to have to look for more to share with my kids!
Learning through life experiences is invaluable. And, science is so much fun! Adding it to everyday life makes it that much more interesting.
Great way to teach your kids science with real life experiences! My daughter loves science so I’ll be teaching her some of these when we go out.
I am completely a fan of learning science in the world around us. There are so many great teaching opportunities in the real world, why not use them?
My kids love STEM!! I love that you found ways to tie it into real life, makes the learning process better.
It’s good to keep them interested in science, they can learn so much. Emmy’s lucky of course because aside from school she gets to learn while traveling and there’s really so much to learn outside that you can’t simply learn in school. It’s all about experience indeed!
It is definitely a good idea to keep them learning at home. Especially STEM subjects. We try to do this, as well.
You guys are doing great parenting your kids. We do the same to our kids too, there are so much to learn even just inside the house.
That’s cool! That’s the very fun way for kids to learn! She surely enjoys and remembers everything you’re teaching her! 🙂
I love that you stopped and found science in your everyday tasks. Pretty much everything we do can be chalked up to science with every movement.
Science really is all around us!! I love that you taught your kids using everyday items and things they would use anyway!
We’ve gone through those learning experiences too with our son. Our son loves science and asks a lot of questions about those things, and we are more than willing to explain it to him.
The absolute best way to learn is definitely through hands-on experience. If you can experience it for yourself, it will stick with you. STEM education is a priority in our home, too. As for the love of the dentist… that may be a different story in our home. 🙂
I love that your kids get to learn about science through real life experiences. I try to take the grandkids everywhere I go because it’s always a memorable experience for them.
I think this is a great initiative Bayer took on. MSMS is a good way to promote STEM in our youth. This is so important in the larger picture of staying competitive in our schools on a global level in this area!
I had a friend who was homeschooled and she was taught science by going outside with her dad. Every day when he got home from work, science was the last class of the day and they would go for walks and she knows her stuff!
This is a really sweet post. I agree as well hands on learning is really great.
I always loved traveling as a child. It’s such a lasting imprint. I don’t remember half the algebra I learned but I remember the geography lessons I learned on any of our countless roadtrips!
I find that the best learning is done hands on. It’s great that your daughter is seeing and learning about the Science involved in everyday life.
I love doing interactive things with my kids. I never thought of the stove before. I will have to show my kids that.
The enrichment you’re providing will add value to her learning. I appreciated all of the museums and experiences my parents provided growing up. It fostered a love for learning.
I love it when we can stimulate students’ minds outside of the classroom. My son learns better that way. He is not one to thrive being in a classroom setting all the time. He loves science, and it is so much better in the outdoors anyway
I’m glad people are so actively aware of the importance of teaching kids STEM areas. And she likes her dentist? Whooha! That’s awesome. 🙂
I believe that experiences are our best teacher. SO this is also true with kids, they have to experience it so they will understand.
i LOVE this! reminds me a lot of montessori, very hands on and real life.
Science is so great for kids to learn from a young age! It’s never failed to amaze me, and always was a favorite subject of mine in school!
My son loves science! I almost wonder if he’s going to be a scientist someday the way he studies and practices it everyday. 🙂
Back in the “old days”, I would strive to find factory Open Houses or Tours so that the boys could discover how things were made. We did quite a lot of theses. Not only did they love these experiences, but so did I. It sparked many a conversation, especially the visit to Cranberry World.
wow, i love that you all traveled to historical locations to learn about first settlers and mining in utah. that’s amazing. i love going outside of home or school for educational opportunities. loving the MSMS initiative. thanks for the intro!
This is a great post! Your examples are all so helpful and I can’t wait to try them out with my kids. I find that most children have an easier time learning about things when they get to experience it firsthand or are able to relate it to a specific event in their lives. Getting out of the classroom and exploring the outside world gives them more opportunities to learn and discover things by themselves. Finding science in everyday activities should be really helpful in stimulating interest in the subject! I hope this gets shared to more parents and show them the benefits of switching to this type of learning!