Parent’s Page
Children’s curiosities serve as a basis for scientific exploration. Your children have the natural tendency to ask questions about the world around them. By encouraging youngsters to investigate, explore and perform simple experiments, they will discover fundamental scientific concepts.
Here are just a few suggestions that the Science Center encourages parents to explore to help spark your child’s curiosity in Science:
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Make a habit of helping your child answer those “how does that work?” questions by directing them to a book or reliable Internet source.
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Purchase toys that spark hands-on interest. These can be simple experiment kits or even construction type toys. We often mentally associate these types of toys with boys. Girls love them too!
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Children that are exposed to a variety of activities and places learn more. Visiting Museums on a regular basis serves as a great learning experience.
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Family field trips into our natural world are one of the best teaching tools you can offer your child. A walk in the woods, a visit to a beach, a salt marsh, tide pool or the mountains can open your child’s eyes up to their environment.
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Children love to collect things! They will collect literally anything. In addition to those treasured “card collections”, why not encourage some things like: rocks and minerals, seashore life (no longer alive of course),
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Encourage children to help repair or build things around the house. This develops their awareness to technology and engineering.
*Science Education does not have to be expensive. A visit to the library can provide you with many books that have numerous “kitchen chemistry experiments”. You would be surprised how much science your child can learn from simply planting a garden from seeds!
Happy Learning and Experimenting from the Burlington Science Center!
I think the Science Center is one of the best things about the Burlington Schools! Thanks for all your hardwork and efforts. I just wish you had more money, time, and resources to add more programs! Thank you for sending home projects over the vacation weeks. I have just one request related to the projects. Since I am really not very good at science it would be super helpful to identify websites that help the kids understand certain concepts so they can think about how to apply them (and how I as a parent can understand and assist!). This past vacation the 5th graders got a piece of styrofoam to make a boat…. I know nothing about bouyancy (sp?) and keels, wind power etc….so it would have been helpful to been directed to a website or book that may have helped make informed decisions about design….. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for your positve comments regarding the mission and goals of the Science Center.
Our grade 5 gutter boat project involves an introductory lesson by Mr. Papadonis which focuses on many of the boat “engineering” concepts. The purpose of the project is two fold:
1. To afford students the opportunity to implement the Design Process when solving a problem.
2. To develop an understanding of how man has borrowed structures in nature to design man-made engineering models. Example would be: the shape of a fish is similar to that of the Hull of a ship.
We encourage students to try and do this project on their own as much as possible. It is not really about who wins the gutter race, but rather the process of following the design process in engineering.
My best,
John Papadonis/ Coordinator
Wendy,
i brought one of our baby guinea pigs to you about 2 months ago with a bald patch on her rear end, you put on some aveeno cream on her, i did it 3 more times and she recovered in days. thank you so much!! all 6 of our guinea pigs are doing great!
thank you the shipka’s
You are most welcome! I am glad your piggies are all doing great! Thanks so much!
What an awsome event with the Remax hot air balloon and the science center!! The kids and adults had a great time and thank you for always putting together such interesting demonstrations. I have great pictures and will send them your way.
Thank you Thank you !!!!
i love your animals i willl take care of one that will be a large rabbit. email me at amanda29poland@gmail.com thank you
How do you bring an animal home for vacation
Please contact Ms. Pavlicek at 781-270-2928 about 2-3 weeks before vacation.