Around these parts, folks sometimes get het up about issues like scientific literacy (or lack thereof) in the general public, public interest (or lack thereof) in matters scientific, and whether scientists have the chops to communicate information clearly to non-scientists.
It’s worth remembering that a large group of non-scientists are kids, and that they are actively sucking information from wherever they can get it — parents, teachers, television, internet, even books.
Ahh, books. We like books. Books can get kids interested and excited about a topic even in the absence of an adult expert or enthusiast in the vicinity.
So it’s a good thing if the books are actually providing information rather than misinformation. And this is why Miriam Axel-Lute at Strollerderby would like to have a word with children’s book authors. Specifically, she’d like them to cool it with their persistent mistakes about the natural world:
Category Archives: Kids and science
Friday Sprog Blogging: thoughts about life and death.
During a recent bath, the younger Free-Ride offspring shared some deep thoughts:
Younger offspring: There’s always life, even though every living thing dies.
Dr. Free-Ride: Oh?
Younger offspring: But life still continues because the Earth never explodes.
Elder offspring: (from the hallway) Not so far.
Friday Sprog Blogging: animals at the zoo.
Last weekend, the Free-Rides visited the National Zoo in Washington, DC. Here are some of the animals we saw:
The giant panda.
Younger offspring: It eats a lot of bamboo.
Elder offspring: Would do great living in a Chinese restaurant if it had a hundred bucks.
Dr. Free-Ride: Why a hundred bucks?
Elder offspring: To buy bamboo, of course.
Younger offspring: We really only saw them eating.
You say you want a revolution
Dr. Isis expresses reservations about signing on for Twisty Faster’s revolution.
ScienceWoman offers a sketch of what her revolution might look like.
Me? I’m pretty exhausted from today’s outing with my offspring, what with it being Winter Break, otherwise known as 24/7 parenting. But I have a few brief ideas of what I’d like to see on the post-revolutionary landscape.
Friday Sprog Blogging: science on Liberty Island.
On Tuesday, largely at the instigation of the Free-Ride offspring, the Free-Ride family went to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty.
Metamorphosis.
The elder Free-Ride offspring drew this picture (on two sides of the same piece of paper).
I think I detect some M.C. Escher influence here.
Friday Sprog Blogging: dreaming.
As winter break approaches, the younger Free-Ride offspring had an unscheduled nightmare.
OK, none of the nightmares is scheduled. Still, this is a week where we could all use more sleep, not less.
Younger offspring: I thought I didn’t have nightmares anymore, but then I had one last night.
Edible (and sustainable) construction in a lean year.
You may remember that last year we were inspired by Bake for a Change to dabble in “green” gingerbread construction. As 2008 draws to a close, the challenge has been issued once again to make a house both good enough to eat and eco-friendly enough to heat (or cool, etc.).
The rules are the same as they were last year:
Friday Sprog Blogging: dating.
I do not know why, in December, the Free-Ride offspring turn their attention to questions of evidence and testimony. (I do worry, however, that by this time next year the elder Free-Ride offspring may become a 12-25 truther.) This week, the sprogs considered ways to establish dates that don’t rely solely on the testimony of someone who was there.
Younger offspring: I wonder when the first paper airplane was invented.
Dr. Free-Ride: Sometime after the invention of paper, I imagine.
Dr. Free-Ride’s better half: Paper was invented a looong time ago.
Elder offspring: By the ancient Egyptians.
Dr. Free-Ride’s better half: And how far back do you have to go for a civilization to count as ancient?
Younger offspring: More than fifty years ago.