You are a parent and you would like your children to improve in science. What do you do for a living? Buy them more and more science books. Get them science kits, chemistry sets, DIY experiments, models they can build?
The answers are hard to find. But since we are in the Internet age, there are sites that offer solutions for this need of parents. Before we start looking at the specific benefits these sites offer, let’s go ahead and find out what such sites should contain.
1) They must be attractive: we are all moved by appearances. But our short-sighted and fickle-minded attention spanned the children even more. That is why the overall appearance and visual design of the site must be attractive and attractive to children. Fortunately for us, the Internet as a medium is visual. So it’s not too hard to make sites visually appealing.
2) Sites that are easy to use: One thing that really annoys me is that some sites require you to have a high degree of familiarity with the site in order to make it work. In fact, this can become so bad that even if a visitor has arrived at a site before, they cannot find the relevant page on their subsequent visit. The basic idea I’m talking about is that the site should have good navigation. Regardless of where you are on the site, you should be able to get to another point without too much of a headache.
3) Sites That Develop the Right Attitude in Kids: As any teacher will attest, it’s not about the information a site conveys. It’s a bit of clarity of communication. But it is mainly about the attitude that one develops in the minds of the students. Promoting the right attitude can be done in many different ways. One of them could be to simplify concepts. Another might be to present scientific facts in a way that is interesting to children.
4) Sites that are interesting: By its very nature, science is really interesting. Therefore, the site must take advantage of this factor. I really hate sites that make science look so much harder than it really is. And the big crime is when a site presents science as something boring or something that needs to be memorized. And the ultimate bad science site is one where the site focuses solely on diagrams, theorems, definitions, jargon, and formulas. That’s what turns people off.
5) Sites that are interesting: I know I’m repeating this heading. But that has a purpose. I rate this quality of a site as the most important quality in a science for kids type of site. There are treasures all around us. There is magic and wonder in science. There is a sense of discovery and adventure. And when things are going well, there’s a sense of accomplishment, if not a miracle. All of these need to be nurtured in a child.
Having established what makes a science site good for kids, you as a parent-user need to think about the best method to make it work for your kids. Here are some thoughts on that:
a) Be sure to hold the process by hand at least a little. This means that there will be situations where a child might need to seek help. Online help can take you a bit far. But an adult, a parent or a minor, can be much better at helping a child.
b) Be around to ask. Often a child can lose interest in the process. If the parent asks about the learning process, the child can be motivated to make a display of her learning. This will inspire them to continue studying.
c) Encourage and reward the little ones I am not very much in favor of giving prizes and incentives to children for every little thing. Sometimes success or achievement itself should be the reward. In keeping with that sentiment, I think you should encourage the kids by telling them how proud you are of what they’ve accomplished.
When you find the right site and approach the tutoring process the right way, you may find that your kids become really good at science. This is not something to be taken lightly. I am convinced that science is not just about information, knowledge and concepts. It is also about developing a scientific temperament. And that is a gift that you can give to your children. They will find it invaluable for the rest of their lives.
Of course, as with other aspects of parenting, you need to make sure you don’t get unduly hung up on minor issues. After all, children are children and should be given a lot of freedom when they want to. As an experienced parent, you already knew that, right?