6 Year Old Points out Science

The other day at dinner my 6 year old gave me a very proud science daddy moment.  She took her fork and balanced it on the edge of her dinner plate.  She then pointed at it, looked at my wife and I, smiled, and said "It's science!"  Yes, that was definitely science.  She had successfully balanced the fork on its center of mass.  It seems simple, but her recognizing this as science gives me a bit of evidence that I'm doing the right things as a dad trying to promote science in the lives of his daughters.  The best part was her smile!

This got me thinking about some of the balancing science experiments we've done together over the last couple of years.  The one that comes to mind is the balancing of forks on a glass and burning matchstick.

The Balancing Fork Experiment

If you haven't seen the balancing fork experiment, please click the link above and watch our video.  It is super cool and appears impossible, but it's simple physics.  Find the center of mass and the forks balance regardless of what your eyes tells you!

I leave you with this take away.  Introduce your kids to science.  It doesn't have to be super elaborate.  Do simple experiments with them.  Let them design experiments.  Let them test their hypotheses.  Point out things in nature.  Ask them questions.  Let them respond in their own way.  Each little thing may be simple, but added up, you are making a huge impact on your child's life.