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Hi, I'm Akua.
Today my son Caleb and I
are going to continue exploring ramps.
We're going to have a race.
We're going to see what happens when we roll two balls
down different surfaces.
We're going to do it together
so that Caleb can become excited about science.
We're going to:
play and explore together,
ask questions and talk about ideas,
and explore more.
At the end of the video,
I'll show you all the ways I did this.
What are you doing, Caleb?
I'm racing balls.
AKUA: Let's see what happens when you put it on the ramp.
So what do you notice about this surface, Caleb?
(scraping)
It's smooth.
AKUA: Why don't we try using a sweater
and see what happens?
CALEB: Okay. AKUA: Okay?
BOTH: Ready...
Set...
Go!
The sweater slowed it down a bit.
AKUA: So who won that race?
CALEB: Smooth won. AKUA: Smooth side?
BOTH: Go! (balls clattering)
CALEB: Set, go! (balls clattering)
AKUA: How would you describe the surface?
Bumpy.
AKUA: Bumpy, so do you think it'll be fast, or slower, or...
...the same?
A bit slower.
Go!
Why do you think that happened?
Because the rough side has too many bumpy stuff on it.
Okay, you want to try again with a different surface?
CALEB: Yeah! AKUA: And see what happens?
Ready, set...
BOTH: Go!
Yay, the smooth side won again.
Ready...
BOTH: Set...
Go!
CALEB: The tinfoil slowed the ball down
and this side made the ball go really fast.
What does it look like they-- what kind of activity
are they doing?
CALEB: They're rolling things down a hill.
AKUA: Mm-hmm, on the grass
was it rough or smooth? CALEB: Rough.
Okay, and now? CALEB: Cement.
AKUA: So now they're on the cement?
CALEB: Yeah.
Do you think it'd be fun if we went outside
to try some of these?
Yeah.
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(laughs)
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(giggling)
AKUA: Now let's rewind so I can show you all the places
where I did things to get Caleb excited about science.
Play and explore together.
See here how I had fun joining in and racing with Caleb?
It showed him I'm interested
and excited about science too.
Ready, set...
BOTH: Go!
(balls clattering)
Yay, the smooth side won again.
Ask questions and talk about ideas.
Why don't you feel the sweater?
And how would you describe the feel of it?
CALEB: Soft.
AKUA: I thought and wondered out loud,
asking "I wonder what will happen,"
when we were racing the balls down the surfaces.
Caleb started to wonder and make his own predictions
once he heard me wonder.
So who do you think is going to win?
Smooth side. AKUA: The smooth side?
Okay, let's go.
We made a chart and talked about what happened.
This will help him remember what he learned.
Explore more.
I left new materials for Caleb to explore the ramp
in a different way.
while I went to make lunch.
We played indoors and outdoors.
It's great to get outside,
and it's exciting to explore the same topic in a new setting.
Caleb loved the time outdoors applying what he learned.
The way to get Caleb excited about science
is to play together,
talk about what it is that we've done, and exploring together.
I used to think it would be difficult
to explore science with Caleb,
but it truly is just about exploring together
and talking about what we've learned.
As a parent
you don't need to have all the answers.
All you need to do is be curious
and willing to join in the fun with your child.
Playing, talking, and exploring together
will make a huge difference in your child's learning.
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