This is the latest installment of Science For The Kids. Every few weeks I try to bring some interesting science entertainment for parents to share with their children. I was never interested in science as a child because of the way I was taught – too formal and simplified, without context to the world around me. Perhaps this series will inspire many of you to supplement your child’s classwork with these alternatives.
This weekend is the first annual WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL in NYC! Take your kid!
Squid Labs has a fantastic science site called Instructables, which is kind of like an internet show & Tell science fair. Basically, the site allows you to upload your project, product modification, science craft, or invention, so that others can learn how to do it themselves. You can come up with all kinds of fun ideas that are practical, silly, or, just crazy.
Phil Plait, The Bad Astronomer, was asked by his friend, an elementary school teacher, to answer some basic astronomy questions from her students. Sometimes it’s best to learn from the experts who are most passionate about the subject, and Phil is the perfect astronomer to ask because he has such a wide scope of knowledge on the subject and he cares deeply about science integrity. Check out the videos here:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5
Put your children (or yourself) on the fast track to winning the nobel prize by introducing them to the new science game Fold It! This puzzle uses real-world protein molecules and asks you to fold the chain of amino acids and connect them in interesting ways. There are nearly an infinite number of ways to fold these molecules, and computers have systematically tried many of them, but folding a protein in just the right way may solve some of the world’s most debilitating diseases, such as HIV, cancer, and alzheimers.
