Do you have a child that is always asking "why" this or "how" that? I do, and the only way I ever found to solve those "whys" and "hows" was to let them see how things worked for themselves.
Not only does this give me the opportunity to teach them how to problem solve, it also gives me an opportunity to know what my children are thinking and to help guide them.
A great way for us to learn was through science kits and robot kits.
Kits are something that require skills and mutual cooperation.
Often times I would be asked to help them sound out a word or they would say "What does____ mean?" This not only would help with the science part of their schooling but with reading and vocabulary as well.
For those that are crunched for time (and who isn't today?), doubling up on great lessons is a wonderful way to teach and spend some special time with your child or children.
The robot was great fun for them to see how what they did worked.
When you work hands on with things whether it is a science kit or putting together a bicycle your success or mistake is immediately noticeable and can be corrected.
Simply reading about something does not give the same sense of accomplishment.
By using kits it is easier to work with something you the parent may not know as much about as you would like.
The directions and pictures often times give you help and it can be fun to learn with your child.
When the child knows that you are learning too he or she will feel that they can help contribute something as a teacher when they help you figure something out while you work on this project.
Children are very imaginative and full of ideas and many times see the solution when more experienced adults miss it.
Once these kits are together it is fun to get the robot or race car out and see how well it performs.
If your children are like mine they will want to outperform the one that they made and will start listing the improvements or changes that they will make to it or to the next one that they try...
and they experience will begin anew.