Physical Science can be intimidating to parents and students alike.  Parents sometimes feel they have to have a strong background in science to even begin teaching it to their children.  Don't let that happen to you!  Science is fun and science is everywhere!  Watching the weather together, watching a pot of water boil, even watching an ice cube melt.  It's all science and we see and experience it everyday.  You don't have to rush to the nearest college to brush up on your chemistry or spend hours pouring over books from the library trying to figure out the four different states of matter, the three different parts of an atom, or how to read the Periodic table! 

All you need is a cup of water to conduct a simple experiment about matter with your child.  Have your child pour the water into the cup and explain that the water is in the liquid state of matter.  next, have your child place the cup of water into the freezer and wait for it to freeze.  When you have ice, take it out of the freezer and touch it...this is water in the solid state of matter.  Leave the ice out and wait for it to melt.  When it is back to the liquid form, place a couple drops out on the counter and leave it there to evaporate.  When the drops have evaporated, the water has turned into a vapor or gas state of matter. 

The amazing thing about matter is that it can change from one state or phase to another simply by adding or taking away energy!  Talk to your child about hwat made the water turn to ice and what made it melt again and eventually evaporate.  Your first science experiment...fun, easy, and it didn't take a master's degree in science to teach! 

Katie Kubesh is co-owner and writer/researcher for In the Hands of a Child.  Recognizing that hands-on projects are essential to the learning experience, In the Hands of a Child has created Project Packs that go beyond the hands-on aspect.   They have taken the preparation time out of the parent/teacher job description with Complete Ready to Assemble Lapbook-style units that are available in Ebook, Printed Book, and CD formats.    Please visit their website at www.handsofachild.com.

©2008 Katie Kubesh