My son hates science - how can I make it interesting

[caro_]

My son is in Year 3 and gets v bored in science lessons at school and then misbehaves. True they are doing boring things like rocks and before they did dietary requirements (not floating sodium in water yet) but it does bore him.

I talk to him about science at home occasionally and if I relate it to things he can relate to he finds it fun. Have found the exploding custard site but can someone recommend any others for me.

[spacechimp]

www.scitoys.com

[spacechimp]

The foil on the TV screen is fun, more for the shocks than actually making the thing work.

[Gef]

I presume that by Year 3 he is about 6 years old. Surely schools should be teaching the three Rs and not bothering with Science at this stage. I'm sure your son enjoyed seeing the exploding can but does he understand what is happenning? If he gets bored and misbehaves then he has a problem which will continue in life.

[caro_]

Hi Gef

He is 8 next month and you would NOT believe the things they do in school these days! I did not know what science was until I went ot comprehensive school.

Spacechimp - I will follow that lead now, thanks. Looking forward to the foil on the TV screen

[madein1978]

Maybe science isn't his thing, although it is good you are encouraging him, because Science is everything, it is life, it is the world and everything in it. I get my enthusiasm for Science and Technology from my dad, who has been obsessed with electricity since he was 3 or 4. Maybe you should try some real experiments, nothing too dangerous at this stage of course, but you could try some simple stuff like the basic principles of chemistry or Electricity or even some very basic Physics. Some of the things my dad used to get up to, he used to make bombs out of weedkiller and sugar, connected it up to a motorbike battery and blew craters in the garden, according to my Gran, it must be true because my Dad cringes!!