- #1
WineRedPsy
- 19
- 8
So, I've got three sisters, and one of them's just starting preschool/six-years-school. She seems to be a rather quick learner (and bright, if that's something you can be at five, six), and when she's paying attention to something the younger one (who's quite creative) usually follows.
So, naturally, and especially after she expressed fascination with the fire of a candle reacting by her waving her hand halfway across the table. I tried giving a simple explanation (Air is something!), and have done similiarly for other things that I thought might be interesting to her and the younger one. I've also tried teaching them some mathematics, but I ended up getting frustrated, which she noticed and refused to continue. Our parents teach them some counting and mental arithmetic, but they don't know the operators or how to even write numbers ("No, three-hundred and twenty-one is not written 30021" :c). Once the older knows that I think I'll introduce her to = as being a equivalence instead of "answerthingie" like you usually are taught early on in school.
I'm very afraid I'll scare them off of science and mathematics and present it as something impenetrable their nerdy brother does, and I'd love to give some sort of less mind-numbing perspective in alternative to what they'll have to put up with in elementary school.
How do I present it science in a fun way to such small kids? How do I encourage them to learn more on their own, whatwith internet and all nowadays!? How do I teach them such fundamental concepts like writing numbers without getting frustrated? What cool ways to start exploring these subjects are there? Should I teach them some geometry and basic algebra alongside the early arithmetic? Is there any point to starting with subjects generally popular with children, i.e. paleontology and astronomy? How do I make it feel less a "boy's club"? How do I avoid them internalising the inaccessible scientist stereotype? Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know where to start!
So, naturally, and especially after she expressed fascination with the fire of a candle reacting by her waving her hand halfway across the table. I tried giving a simple explanation (Air is something!), and have done similiarly for other things that I thought might be interesting to her and the younger one. I've also tried teaching them some mathematics, but I ended up getting frustrated, which she noticed and refused to continue. Our parents teach them some counting and mental arithmetic, but they don't know the operators or how to even write numbers ("No, three-hundred and twenty-one is not written 30021" :c). Once the older knows that I think I'll introduce her to = as being a equivalence instead of "answerthingie" like you usually are taught early on in school.
I'm very afraid I'll scare them off of science and mathematics and present it as something impenetrable their nerdy brother does, and I'd love to give some sort of less mind-numbing perspective in alternative to what they'll have to put up with in elementary school.
How do I present it science in a fun way to such small kids? How do I encourage them to learn more on their own, whatwith internet and all nowadays!? How do I teach them such fundamental concepts like writing numbers without getting frustrated? What cool ways to start exploring these subjects are there? Should I teach them some geometry and basic algebra alongside the early arithmetic? Is there any point to starting with subjects generally popular with children, i.e. paleontology and astronomy? How do I make it feel less a "boy's club"? How do I avoid them internalising the inaccessible scientist stereotype? Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know where to start!