The love of science and research it is an attitude that parents can do a lot to promote in the child and we can do it from our house.
The human being enjoys discovering
To ask ourselves about the causes of things is natural in human beings.. Although we don't want to, we work like this, we are curious and learn by trial and error, with experimentation, but also by asking what interests us. It makes us enjoy. Learning is fun, and that is normal, because the human being is an animal that adapts to the environment through research, knowledge, culture and manipulation of the natural. We are scientific animals, if they leave us.
It's fundamental respect these processes in the child: touching things (provided they are not dangerous, of course), having a lot of material available, throwing food on the floor or staining with it, asking and asking and asking ... we are scientists from birth, wanting to discover what happens when we do something and if that effect is repeated the same if we repeat the action.
Therefore, the first way to favor scientific thinking is to respect the child's natural learning process as a baby and be open to offer the maximum possibilities for safe experimentation. And, of course, attend to your questions even if you ask them continuously.
The example of the parents
The second way of to promote the love of science is to care about them, be reading, be looking for answers to what we do not know and making the child part of our discoveries. We can even raise doubts about the nature of things and about the processes of living beings, the environment or the forces that surround us, inviting the child to find out the answers with us.
If the model we offer is not that of a person who seeks to continue learning hard we can instill that love of knowledge in children.
Transmit that we can find the answers
The idea is to convey that unot himself can discover the answers to things, be it researching with experiments, be it searching for information in books or the internet, be it talking with people we know who are experts in that matter and can explain it to us.
Promoting meaningful learning
He that the object of the study is significant will make it more valuable and unforgettable. The importance given to the response and learning about processes and content will depend on how significant it is for the observer or student, and, therefore, that the questions we ask ourselves (and then themselves) will be what we do to The answers be more important and valuable, understandable and lasting.
Learning works much better if you volunteer, therefore, you have to favor that you love to learn and leave freedom to choose content, rather than forcing you to learn a certain content at a certain time without being the one that the child has found for himself .
Pedagogically the most lasting learning is the one that is significant For the learner, and the most effective methods are teaching another, experiencing directly or establishing a dialogue with another person. By promoting these processes we will improve not only the child's ability to love science, but also that the learning obtained is of quality.
Home experiments
The realization of simple experiments at home how to plant seeds and watch them grow, take care of animals at home or look for in our home objects and substances that we can manipulate seeing how they respond to our actions would be a very effective way to promote scientific curiosity and researcher skills.
In Babies and more We have already proposed some workshops for experiments and research to do with children. In addition to our experiments with eggs, our archeology workshop, experiments with water, soft drinks and ice we can make a solar cooker, plant a garden or manage a small weather station. I promise you more workshops with examples that are sure children will love.
There are also simple scientific games that we can acquire or manufacture ourselves. I remember a homemade water table that I presented some time ago that seemed like a magnificent homemade proposal.
We can, when the child is ready, prepare models of atoms or the solar system, make a kite or build a small boat with a model. The questions will sprout like overflowing water if we encourage them and offer them resources.
And of course, do not forget how important the kitchen is as a laboratory where we experiment with weights, measurements, textures and physical and chemical reactions.
Make the world a great laboratory
Of course, in the experiential activities we can include the whole world as a great science laboratory, including in our plans visits to museums, interpretation centers, botanical gardens, animal conservation reserves and places of natural interest.
There are also television programs with scientific or naturalistic content that children can already enjoy, and, over time, it is a good habit to start watching documentaries and increasing their complexity as the child demands or asks questions.
Letting them get dirty is another of the most educational activities possible: with water, with mud, with sand, with soil ... play with rain, wind, snow or ice, collect dry leaves and interesting pebbles, walk in the park, the Beach and forest, approaching the fields planted at different times of the year, all that encourages direct knowledge of nature and its processes.
Having at home the maximum possible books, videos, educational games and all kinds of resources is an excellent way to bring home the love of knowledge. And, what we cannot buy, we can discover it in the library.
With all these ideas we can bring science to our homes and foster in our children the love of knowledge and research. The key, again, respect for the child's processes and a conscious but not intrusive accompaniment.
