Every education specialist that I met and every educational magazine I came across never fails to advocate reading from a young age. Prenatal education also encourages mums-to-be to read as much as possible to their unborn babies.

If language is so important, what about Science then?

Why is Science only taught from Primary 3 onwards in Singapore? Why is it not taught right at the start (Pri 1) like English and Mathematics?

In my opinion as a Science Educational Specialist, a good grasp of the language skill is necessary to understand science questions and answer science questions logically and coherently. Hence, the first 2 years of formal schooling help build up a child’s language ability before Science Education is introduced.

By introducing Science later, does that mean Science is less important? Definitely not!

In my personal capacity as a parent, it is vital to introduce Science as early as possible to a child. The two key reasons are:
Academic Progression
In primary school, science is one of the 4 subjects studied. But in Secondary school, science can become as many as 3 subjects (pure chemistry, pure biology and pure physics) of 7-9 subjects. Even if a secondary school student takes combined science, it is basically 2 science subjects rolled into one. If a strong foundation in science is not established in the early years, the child will struggle as he/she moves up the educational ladder as science subjects will only seem to become more and more complex and abstract, and difficult to master.

Future of the child
Academic grades aside, having a good knowledge and passion in science will open up many career paths for the child. The careers paths for science students are very diverse and varied. They ranged from hardcore science careers such as research scientists to medical/pharmaceutical science to food science to engineering/architectural science. Given the abundance of career opportunities science provides, it is definitely a good idea to start nurturing a love for science since young. Even if ultimately, a career in science is not pursue, a good science knowledge will also help a person know the biochemistry to good health.

Given that Science is an integral part of our lives, how do we introduce Science to young kids through our daily activities?

Stay tune for my future posts as I will write in-depth on how to introduce science and explain scientific concepts to our children.

Time flies! It’s the middle of the June Holidays already.
Running out of places to bring the kids out?
Thinking of an outing that is both fun and educational of the kids?

A good place I have discovered recently is the Singapore Arts Museum. I went there for a school excursion with my kids to learn about “shadows”. To my surprise, I saw a number of exhibits there they are very useful in imparting science to kids.

On level 1, there is a large glass tank that contains numerous green plants. The self-sustaining environment of this exhibit captures at least 3 scientific principles:
1. Photosynthesis: In the presence of light, green plants take in carbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen and food.
2. Respiration: Green plants are living things and will take in oxygen to support life processes and carbon dioxide and water are by-products.
3. The water cycle: Loss of water through evaporation and transpiration to produce water vapour which condenses on the cooler glass surface to form water droplets.
The above three concepts are highly interlinked as the products (waste) of one process is a necessary reactant in another process. For example, the carbon dioxide produced in respiration is a necessary reactant in photosynthesis. This exhibit brings to life a typical structured question in science exams.

On level 2, real rubber seeds are show-cased. Visitors can learn about the dispersion process of rubber seeds as well as the different varieties of rubber seeds. It is a good starting point to introduce young kids to the concept of dispersion in plants and the different types of dispersion methods.
Other exhibits related to science worth mentioning are:
1. Animal traps: different types of animal traps are on display and visitors can understand the different mechanisms present in these traps.
2. Exhibits made of iron nails and graphite: these exhibits exposed kids to different types of materials and uses. It was very refreshing to see the innovative and beautiful art pieces made from these materials which typically are highly functional type of materials.

It was indeed an eye-opening trip for me as I never did expect to see so many scientific displays in an ART museum. The exhibitors were ingenuous to synergise science and art together to create highly educational art pieces. If you have the time, it is definitely a good idea to make a trip to S.A.M where your kids can be exposed to Science, Art and have fun at the same time.