Green Science at Home by Susan Martineau
Susan Martineau is an editor and author, writing books which spark curiosity in her readers. Today, she explains why she wrote her ‘Science Experiments’ books.
I haven’t really grown up much since being a child who loved making mud pies, adopting ‘pet’ snails and mucking around in the kitchen making home-made volcanoes. My mother actively encouraged all this activity, even if it sometimes meant a massive amount of mess. She thought we should always be busy doing things and hopefully finding out useful stuff along the way. Thanks Mum! Now I get to write books to encourage other children to do the same!
We didn’t have a chemistry set at home. I did like the sound of the one my dad had in the 1940s, though, with lots of dodgy substances that wouldn’t pass any kind of risk-assessment now. But you can still do loads of fascinating experiments at home without the danger or the need for any specialist shopping.
I’ve also tried to make sure that children can do the simple activities and experiments without too much adult supervision either. It’s so much more fun to do as much as possible on your own! Adults are, of course, useful with some projects like the night hunt for bugs in a dark garden or park. (They can carry a snack and a drink for the young scientist.)
It is easy for busy grown-ups to forget that sense of wonder and the delight of discovery that we had as children. When was the last time you made your own rainbow or messed around with mirror writing? And doing simple experiments, like building worm homes or rain-catchers, where day-to-day observations are needed is a good way to slow down and take notice of small details. I think it’s so good to encourage children to do this and then to find out why something happens in the way that it does.
One thing I didn’t have as a child is a growing sense of anxiety and fear about climate change and the impact on our planet of human activity. The experiments in the Green Science book show children some of the processes behind what is happening. Making your own version of a polar ice-cap or an oil spill is a vivid way to understand the problem.
The book also includes ‘Science to the Rescue’ sections to explain what scientists are trying to do to help our planet and there are also lots of ‘Eco-tips’ on things to DO instead of just feeling scared and powerless. It is so important to reassure children that there are things they, and everyone, can do to make a difference.
I hope the two books encourage budding scientists to make up their own experiments, too. Once you start looking around at home, indoors and outside, you start to see all kinds of possibilities for scientific tests and discoveries. And they don’t need to involve too much mess – well not always!
Many thanks to Susan for taking part in NNFN. Thanks also to Naomi at bsmall for all her help and support.
