Bill Nye’s Tips for Engaging Kids in Science
Bill Nye, the ’90s television icon, teacher who helped a child understand topics such as buoyancy and momentum, a man whose mission is to help make science more accessible to the masses is back. (Not that he ever left – he was always very, very busy. ) These days, Nye is teaming up with Nintendo to help promote the newly released Nintendo Labo and preparing to premiere the third season of his Netflix show, Bill Nye is saving the world. As time is rapidly dwindling to teaching science in elementary schools , I asked our favorite scientist guy what parents can do to get their kids interested in the subject he loves the most.
Do not wait
When it comes to revealing a scientific error, this relentless desire to understand how the natural world works, Nye says there is an age limit. “When we did the Scientist Guy show in the 1990s, we had a very compelling study that 10 years is just as long as you can get your so-called lifelong passion for science,” says Nye. “And I think it’s about as much as you can to get carried away with anything for life. When did you want to tell stories? “The motto in his business is” Science every day in every class. ” There really is no such thing as being too young.
Know the power of algebra
If your high school math teacher isn’t clear on the point, let Nye tell you again: algebra is important. “Here’s one thing that has been demonstrated: algebra is the single most reliable indicator of whether a person is pursuing a career in mathematics or science,” says Nye. “It is not clear what this is cause and effect. It seems. Learning to think abstractly about numbers seems to allow or encourage you to think abstractly about a wide variety of things, and so one change we could make to education is to get people interested in letters representing numbers earlier in their academic careers. , that is, in the third grade and not the seventh grade. “
Focus on why
It is not enough for the teacher to stand in front of the class and make the children repeat the words ” Molecules are made of atoms … “. Children learn through stories – they need to know why science is important in their lives. In a variety of everyday situations, explain to them how science works. “I don’t have polio because I got the polio vaccine,” Nye says. “I am alive because my grandparents did not die of the Spanish flu in 1918. I really enjoy calling my car from my phone, rather than wandering around looking for a pay phone to call a taxi. All this has been brought to us by science. “
He moves on. “I just recently spoke to this guy about his tires. Tires are now guaranteed to travel 60,000 miles or 80,000 miles. When I was a kid, tires traveled 15,000 miles, and then my parents threw them out and replaced them. We feed 7.5 billion people with agricultural technology. It’s unusual. Science, people! “
No matter what career your child might be interested in, talk about how much science will be needed – it just can’t be missed. “Suppose you were at a party and people are standing around and talking, and someone says, ‘I never learned the alphabet. I thought it was arbitrary. ” Can you imagine? Likewise, we want science to be a part of your education, no matter what you end up doing, whether you become a lawyer or a venture capitalist, a plumber, an electrician, a paramedic or a circus performer. “
Work with video games, not against them
Nye has been hearing the question for years, “Are video games spoiling my child?”
“There is always concern about video games,” Nye says. ” These kids today … When I was little, everything was fine … Look, you will have a video game in your home.” Believing that video games could help kids become addicted to STEM, he teamed up with Nintendo to promote Labo, a series of DIY cardboard kits for the Nintendo Switch. It is an ingenious combination of play and manufacturing: on the screen, kids build real toys with which they can play, from a fishing rod to a piano to a robot costume. “This is essentially a practical application,” says Nye.
“I became a chemical engineer because I was a craftsman,” adds Nye. “I think”. He recalls playing with cardboard boxes as a child. “There is nothing better,” he says. “The refrigerator came in a huge box. I mean, my God, come on, it’s alive. You could crawl inside and it turned into a tank. And all the forts you can build! Monsters cannot pierce cardboard. It’s very well documented. “
Let the kids play
To help kids learn and gain confidence, sometimes mums and dads need to stay out of the way.
You can provide them with materials to experiment with – perhaps a pair of nerve test socks or a penny, an eyedropper, a glass of water, and some dishwashing detergent to test traction . And then look where they go from there. “Kids love science,” says Nye. “People who have problems with science are parents. Let the children be fearless. Let them mess around. Let them find out for themselves how the world works. “