As well as having my own, I communicate with children in the work I do with Fizzics Education (www.fizzicseducation.com.au ). Kids are born with a desire to explore and discover the world, they love experimenting, questioning and problem solving. So how can we capture this enthusiasm to ensure our kids grow up green?
The answer, I believe is in letting them get out into the world as much as possible. This sounds obvious but in our rush to get through the day to day appointments, classes, jobs and hobbies it is amazing how many opportunities for outside play fall by the wayside. My daughter has asked for a computer gaming system for Christmas. She is not alone in wanting one of these and I am not yet decided whether she will get her wish. Anyway, I am a big fan of getting the kids outside and dirty!
I am amazed at the number of children that I interact with who don’t want to get their hands / clothes dirty, are scared to try something for fear of failing or looking silly and who think that they know it all because they saw it on TV. This is a little disappointing for me, as a kid who grew up covered in mud, always grazed from bike falls and usually inventing something in dad’s garage with the rest of the kids from the street. So how do we turn these kids back into the little scientists that they once naturally were?
As I said before nothing beats getting outside to play whether it is planting seeds in the garden, jumping on a trampoline, walking the dog or having a game of tip. When playing outside is not an option kids can still be encouraged to use their senses and experiment.
Below are a few ideas to get our little people’s enthusiasm back.
1) Let them have their own veggie garden (or herb pot if space is a premium).
2) Get worm farming - worm wee is great for the garden and children will love watching them grow! http://www.earlybirdwormfarming.com/
3) Bring the outside in with an ant circuis. http://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/Online%20Store/science%20kits.html
4) Collect leafs, twigs and stones and designs your own shoe box garden.
5) Make slime out of cornflower to stimulate brain cells through experimental play.
6) Take a picnic to the local park and on the way talk about the plants and birds that you see.
7) Get hold of some binoculars for bird watching or a magnifying glass and seek out bugs.
Make your own rain gauge and plot the rainfall over a month. Think about where all of that water goes?
9) Make mud pies. Talk about the things that you might find in the soil, what is soil?
10) Sit outside of the mall for a few minutes and talk about what animals and insects live there.
Have fun playing outside (or in) but make the play count towards a better future.
