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Hi, I'm Annie.
I'm a home educator who uses
the PEEP Family Science app.
Parents aren't always confident
when they start doing science with their children.
Here are three strategies that every parent can use
to get comfortable doing science with their kids.
Play and explore together.
A parent's attention and encouragement
will make a big difference!
Ask questions and talk about your ideas.
The more a parent and their child talk together,
the more her child learns.
Explore more!
The more a parent and their child do together,
the more chances the child has to grow.
Now let's watch how I model week one of the PEEP Ramps unit
and talk to a mom about the strategies.
So, before we dive in to everything,
let's watch a video of a mom and her son
using the three strategies
to help him get interested in ramps.
Okay.
(object skidding)
It went down a little bit faster.
Okay, and now what's going to happen?
What do you think's going to happen?
ANNIE: Let's talk about the first strategy.
They played and explored together.
What did you notice about the mom?
Well, I noticed the little boy
really enjoyed playing with his mom.
And, the mom didn't tell him what to do,
she just allowed him explore in his own way.
Great observation!
Parents sometimes... take over when they play,
but this mom let her son lead the way.
Okay, so here's another strategy.
Did you see how they asked questions
and explored their ideas?
I bet you already do this with Jordan.
Yes!
Tell me more.
How do you get him to keep the conversation going?
Well, sometimes it's hard
because he just gives me "yes" or "no" answers.
But then I start asking him questions,
and I tell him what I'm thinking,
and then he really gets going.
ANNIE: Yes.
Here's the last strategy.
They explored more.
What did the mom and her son do to explore more about ramps?
Well, the mom had her son
use his own toys down the ramp.
Then he decided to use other things
like a rubber chicken. (laughs)
Then they went outside and found ramps,
they rolled balls down a hill and they went down a slide.
ANNIE: Yeah.
Let's do the Day 1 activities together.
We'll get the instructions from the app.
First we'll watch the Peep video.
But when you watch this with Jordan,
make sure to turn the TV off
and put away all the toys
so you can focus on the video.
Also, sit closely together so you can talk while you watch.
WOMAN: Okay.
("Peep" theme playing)
JOAN CUSACK: "The Whatchamacallit."
Quack!
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So, kids love to do what they see in videos.
So we're going to make a little slide,
and make a little Peep,
and then we're gong to do what Peep, Chirp, and Quack did
in the video.
I'll be the kid and you be the mom.
We could use the app to guide us.
Okay!
♪ ♪
WOMAN: So now we need to get a Peep and Quack.
ANNIE: Okay.
WOMAN: So I'll do this to Quack...
And you do that to Peep.
♪ ♪
What happened?
ANNIE: Nothing.
WOMAN: Okay, try lifting the side of the ramp.
A little higher...
A little higher.
Good job!
Do you see what happens the higher you lift the ramp?
Yes.
What happens?
ANNIE: It goes faster.
Good observation!
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ANNIE: See how the Explore More! strategy pops up?
It says: "Add more materials to explore in different ways."
This is an opportunity for you to make the activity longer
and more fun.
What if we made a ramp out of cardboard
and have him slide his toys into the toy box.
That way, it would be a fun way to clean up.
That's a great idea.
Jordan can also play with different ramps in the kitchen.
He can use a pan to make a ramp.
ANNIE: Yes!
You could be cooking
and Jordan could be learning about ramps.
Now you know what to do on day one.
On day two, you and Jordan could go on a real slide.
Just follow along on the app.
You'll do great!
I'll check in in a week.
Okay.
♪ ♪
So, how did the activities go last week?
It went really well.
Ready?
Jordan really enjoyed making the ramps go steeper and steeper.
This way?
Okay, let's try to lift it slowly again.
And we did that thing where we made the cardboard ramp
into the toy box.
ANNIE : Oh wow, you're getting really creative
with your ramps activities.
WOMAN: And we went outside and Jordan saw a truck,
and said, "That's a ramp."
ANNIE: Wow!
WOMAN: He's noticing ramps indoors and outdoors.
He's learning a lot.
ANNIE: He seems to be.
Did asking questions help Jordan talk more about the activity?
Jordan did like playing with the slides,
but he didn't really talk a lot.
That's okay.
He's still pretty young.
He might say more after a few weeks,
but keep asking questions.
Also, try talking out loud about what you're doing and thinking.
And when you're doing the ramp activity,
you could try saying something like,
"I wonder what will happen
if the ramp is steeper.
(gasps) "Wow!
Little Peep goes down faster!"
Or... "I wonder what I can try next."
Oh yeah!
I forgot one thing-- he did ask a question.
He wanted to know
why the small ball went down the ramp faster than the big ball.
I didn't know what to say.
ANNIE: That's okay.
You don't have to know the answer.
Maybe next time you could say something like, "You're right,
"the little ball did go down faster.
I wonder why that is."
At this age, exploring together is what science is all about.
♪ ♪
ANNIE: By modeling the three strategies,
you'll help parents get comfortable
exploring science with their children.
Let parents know they have what it takes
to help their children learn science.
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