Science and Math at Home for Middle Schoolers
What do we know about middle schoolers that can help keep them interested in science and mathematics?
Early adolescents like to be active learners and to work on problems that have meaning for their own lives. They like to be with their peers and be more independent of adults. They study science and math at school, but important learning happens at home and in the community. The support parents give a child at home will make a great difference in his or her school success. Here are nine ways to encourage your middle school child's science and math learning.
1. Be positive and insist that science and math are important for understanding our world and preparing for a good future.
Early adolescents' interests may change. They may prefer activities that they can do with their friends, at places they can get to on their own, or they can do independently at home. But they still like science and math and can still keep working and learning. You can guide your children to keep up with science and math learning to build a strong foundation for their futures.
2. Encourage your child to read.
Have reading material in your home. Children entering adolescence may read fewer books (in favor of spending more time talking and being with friends.) However, they do like to read magazines and newspapers. Magazines such as Discover, Zillions, or Popular Science are good choices to have around. A lot of up-to-date science and math is presented in these magazines. Some have student subscription rates. Information is in each magazine. Subscribe to one so it's around the house-you can read them too and get ideas about things to talk to your child about.
Let your child see you looking at books and magazines, writing letters, and using math in your daily life; for example, planning a budget or balancing a checkbook.
3. Select puzzles and games that interest and challenge your child and his or her friends.
Examples of games that encourage good science and math thinking are Rubik's cube, Othello, chess, Monopoly, and dice and card games that depend on probability. A computer game such as Tetris requires a player to use geometry. Logic puzzles are fun and provide excellent math practice. Children this age may become interested in statistics and can make up games using the sports pages.
The school or public library may have copies of some of these games that can be checked out.
4. Visit science and technology museums, zoos, and nature centers.
Museum exhibits, demonstrations, and classes are places where learning is fun and where middle schoolers can learn in peer groups. They can see and do things not available at home or school. Many people who chose careers in science or technology say they first became interested when they visited a museum as a child.
Zakia loved the bird exhibits at the Museum of National History in New York City. She wanted to learn more about owls, hawks, and other birds of prey. She begged her mother to let her go to the museum again and to take her two best friends.
In Las Vegas, NM, where there are no science museums or science centers, volunteer parents and students put together the "Exploration Station" in an unused library building. They used the Science Cook Book from the San Francisco Exploratorium to build 25 hands-on exhibits. The whole community is learning science and math by building the exhibits and by playing with them now that they are built.
5. Let your child help with some household finances and repairs.
Your middle school child can calculate a tip, pay for the groceries and be responsible for the correct change, and figure out the interest on a loan. He or she can plan a savings program to buy something personal like sneakers or a CD player. Let your child figure out the phone bill and see if any saving could be made. When something needs fixing, like the back steps or an appliance, get your child to help figure out what is wrong and how to repair it.
6. Find another adult who will guide and encourage your child.
This is an age when peers begin to say that studying math and science seriously is "nerdy." A mentor (a person who encourages and helps students along) can argue that it is a key to a good future. A mentor can be a family member, a neighbor, a teacher, a volunteer from a local business, or an older student.
Meeting people who have interesting careers that use science and math can motivate middle schoolers. Ask the school guidance office if there are career days or mentor/role model programs. Look for people your child can identify with who have careers that use math and science-a pharmacist, an auto body mechanic, a salesperson, a small-business manager, a teacher, a nurse, or a doctor. Point them out to your children. Expand their ideas of possible careers.
7. Identify and enroll your middle schooler in after-school, weekend, or summer programs in science or mathematics.
See if there are science or math clubs at your child's school. Encourage him or her to sign up. Almost every science museum and nature center has programs for students this age. Many have kits that can be taken home. When students who like science go to programs together, they see middle schoolers like themselves who are serious about their schoolwork. Learning together not only is fun but also helps children develop positive social skills.
8. Gather materials so your middle schooler can make models.
Making a model to represent the real world is a scientific way of knowing and also a popular activity with many middle schoolers. Building models from kits is a good science/math experience. But you don't need to spend money on a kit. It's easy to put together a project workshop at home. Recyclables such as oatmeal and shoe boxes, foam, Styrofoam and aluminum trays, film canisters, cardboard, scrap wood, rubber bands, paper clips, plus a roll of masking tape, clear tape, white glue, safety scissors, some markers, and other household items can be used to make models and do other home projects.
Sometimes a homework assignment is to make a model. You can provide an extra pair of hands and be a good listener as your child figures out what to do and how to do it.
9. Monitor TV viewing.
Students who are successful in their science and math courses at school watch less TV than others. Point this out to your middle schooler and limit TV viewing. Activities such as those mentioned above can take the place of TV when you turn it off. When your child does watch TV, look for programs that have educational value such as Wild America, Mr. Wizard, Newton's Apple, and Square One. These are aired on local PBS stations.
Last Modified: 2007-09-21 at 12:09:01 -- this is in International Standard Date and Time Notation