Sparking children’s interest is a challenging task. However, once their attention is caught, it’s much easier to teach them about anything and everything under the sun. Igniting children’s senses and stimulating their curiosity towards the sciences can be a fun but tough experience. However, using a microscope as a primary tool to stimulate their minds might just work.
For a child to pay interest to such a piece of complex machinery that serves as a fundamental foundation of many sciences, the lectures and ideas about the equipment and its functions should be leveled down to be understood and be fascinating enough for a young and curious mind.
What makes a microscope interesting?
A microscope allows tiny objects to be magnified and make them look larger. Microscopes are usually used to peek at an object’s cellular structure, which is too small to be seen with the naked eye alone.
Kids can take joy from peeking into the lens of a microscope and discovering things that they don’t usually see, allowing learning experiences to thrive and be an avenue for playtime.
There are many microscope companies like New York Microscope Company that offer a variety of models, with some that are child-friendly.
Using a microscope, especially if it’s a kid’s first time, can be both confusing and entertaining. Trying to make children like science isn’t an easy task. After all, how can a child understand the complexities of the science fields like biology, geology, or chemistry. For children to pay attention and find science interesting, their interest must first be triggered. But how?
1. Let Them See What The Lenses See
Children are naturally curious about anything unfamiliar, so it can be a good opportunity to teach them about the sciences by showing them the different cell structures observed through a microscope.
They might not understand what it means scientifically speaking, but letting them see the actual images may spark their creativity. They can associate the unfamiliar images of a magnified object with things they know in the macro world. Doing so makes science more relatable for the kids.
2. Guessing Game
Introducing science through playtime will help kids remember information better, rather than sitting them down in a classroom and lecturing them about the technicalities of the subject. Most children may like the idea that they are playing a game. An activity where they get to interact with each other while discovering items will help keep their interest and, at the same time, make learning fun.
They can play a game where the enlarged image will be shown, but not the item itself, and the task of the kids is to guess what item was magnified. The children can try to guess by choosing items around them or ask questions that may lead to the identity of the object.
It can be seen as a normal game for children, but through this activity, the minds of children can develop logical thinking and critical reasoning.
3. Interactive Science Activity
An interactive exercise while incorporating the use of a microscope can be a good approach to teach children the sciences. Using a microscope with kids while incorporating everyday activities will ease the unfamiliar phase of tackling the subject of science. Let them draw what they see under a microscope, or allow them to choose the next item to be magnified. Assign them home works that can let them ponder on the images they see under a microscope and allow them to relate them to their everyday lives.
Using techniques that make science relatable to kids allows better engagement and will open opportunities for them to truly have a keen interest in science.
4. A Lesson They Can Remember
Using a microscope can also be a good memory for a child while he is young. A person’s imagination will be at its peak during childhood, and allowing a child to play with a microscope may serve as a starting point to truly love and appreciate science.
Teaching children science can also impact their life and career choices later on. Those who show an early interest in different science-related fields are more likely to choose career paths that can provide better opportunities like technology, engineering, medicine, and the like.
Why is it important to teach children about the sciences?
Teaching children about science and its influence on life should be prioritized while they are young. Science is present in all aspects of everyday life. Seeing the world and understanding how things work is an important skill to instill in children. Once they start to learn about their surroundings, their critical thinking skills and inclination to science can become more apparent.
Science should be taught to children because:
- Science will prompt children to learn key life skills, including the ability to deduce, communicate, formulate logical thoughts, and even strategize their own opinions based on observations.
- Children naturally have curious and inquisitive minds. Teaching them science through the use of tools and hands-on activities will help quench their curiosity about things and will allow them to learn in a non-traditional way.
- Activities that require them to move will help develop their five senses and overall awareness.
Final Thoughts
Learning should be an amusing and memorable experience, not just for children but also for the adults around them. It may take more effort than expected to stimulate a child’s brain to pay attention to lessons in science. However, with the right motivation and the proper tools, it can be a bit easier.
Using a microscope to teach a child and enriching their knowledge about how science is an important part of our daily lives can be an effective strategy for them to like the subject.