blue bar

    Experiment Tips

blue bar

Guidance for parents, teachers, and science club leaders:

Enthusiastic Attitude photo of boy with apparatus
Show genuine excitement for topics and activities. Encourage students to take some risks, to try new things, and to make mistakes. Lessons are designed for discovery and experimenting. Many are make-and-take-home projects.
Preparation
Know the experiment well–maybe try it yourself ahead of time. Note safety precautions. Have plenty of materials for every child, pair, or small group. Be sure you have enough time to do the activity without rushing.
Rooms & Space
Most experiments can be messy; avoid carpeted rooms. Arrange rooms so everyone has elbow room to build, make, and try out things. Put materials out where everyone has easy access to them. We suggest arranging students in a circle or semicircle during discussions, student presentations, or demonstrations.
Participation
Be sure every student is active and involved. If working in pairs or small groups, be sure everyone has a role and no one is taking over by doing everything.
Journals
Encourage students to keep journals about experiments. Entries might include a brief description of the project, theories, observations, reflections, feelings, questions, summaries of what was learned, information about related careers, or how the topic is related to the “real world.” Some may keep a separate vocabulary section.
Careers
Invite community people to visit and share jobs, careers, and hobbies related to projects. Suggest visitors keep their talks short. Encourage visitors to bring some hands-on things and visuals to share. If possible, take tours to see careers in action. Remind all visitors to reinforce importance of math and science literacy and classes.
Students As Teachers
When possible, encourage students to teach and share experiments with other children. Over time, some students may feel comfortable being Science Club Leaders for groups of younger children. Remember the saying that “you really know something when you can teach it to someone else.”

blue bar

To Science Club Guidelines To Starting Your Own Club
To Reach Out! Michigan Home Page Updated 6 Mar 2010