A question that educators often hear from parents is how to integrate content into home life, particularly math and science. This concept is easier than you think! Whether you have toddlers or teens, you can bring math and science right into the home. Here are some simple suggestions to incorporate math and science into everyday home activities.
Incorporating math
Most importantly, use what you are already doing. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to bring math into your everyday outings and conversations. If you are heading to the grocery store, let your toddler grab a cart or basket and ask them to grab a specific number of items. Simply telling them to grab two cans of tomato sauce and one bag of cheese allows you to add up ingredients once they’ve been collected. This simple task can be done several times a day to challenge your student constantly. Are you bringing your teen to the store? Have them figure out per unit prices based on different product sizes to see which is the best deal. Are they into Fortnite? Have them figure out the conversion rate from V-bucks to dollars. Math is everywhere!
Incorporating science
You don’t need to find lots of extra time to make science part of the conversation, either. Just talking about new ideas can bring the discussion into your everyday life. If you have a little one who loves the ocean, discuss all the wonders that exist and how they survive deep in the water. If you have a comic book lover, talk about what it would take for those superheroes to actually exist. If you have an athlete, discuss topics like momentum, force, speed, trajectory, etc. Science is a massive part of everyday life, so you simply need to pick out ways to pique children’s interests (like fostering a love of reading).
Make learning special
If you want to make something special of it, there are tons of places you can go to work on math and science skills. Baltimore is full of fantastic resources, such as Port Discovery, the Aquarium, and the Maryland Science Center. These places really appeal to a variety of ages and can incorporate skills from counting sharks in the water to discussing the gallons in the various tanks at the aquarium. A short drive from Baltimore can take you to the wonders of the museums in Washington, D.C. There is truly something for everybody—from dinosaurs to space and more!
There are also lots of fun science experiments that can be done right at home with our young learners—building volcanos, creating ocean bottles, making rock candy—they are limitless and can fit various budgets.
Just remember that as a facilitator of your child’s education, sometimes all you need to do is talk and listen! Allow wait time and tap into your child’s interests to foster creativity and wonder that will last a lifetime.
Natalie Mangrum is the founder and CEO of Maryland Teacher Tutors. She is a reading specialist with a bachelors in elementary education and masters in education. As a parent to two young adults, and prior teacher, Natalie knows all too well the benefits of one-on-one tutoring and coaching for students. Her mission is to ensure that every aspect of MTT is done in a spirit of excellence! She enjoys alleviating the concerns of parents so they can breathe easy knowing their children are in good hands!