• Question: Do you think young children should be encouraged to get into science? If so, why?

    Asked by anon-186460 to Verity, Trystan, Raquel, Danny, Catherine, Andy on 6 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Danny Ward

      Danny Ward answered on 6 Nov 2018:

      I think young children should be educated about science and why it is important. I don’t think anyone should be forced or pushed in to it though.

    • Photo: Catherine Smith

      Catherine Smith answered on 6 Nov 2018:

      Yes, for sure. Obviously a career in science is not going to be for everyone, but everyone can benefit from scientific thinking. It means that when you hear a story with a scientific claim, you can understand it and work out how likely it is to be true.

    • Photo: Trystan Leng

      Trystan Leng answered on 6 Nov 2018:

      I think young children naturally are curious about the world around them, so when they ask questions like ‘why is the sky blue?’ this is a perfect time to start introducing scientific concepts, and how powerful science can be at understanding the world around us.

      That being said, I don’t think young children should be pushed into anything – let kids be kids!

    • Photo: Raquel Medialdea Carrera

      Raquel Medialdea Carrera answered on 6 Nov 2018:

      Yes, definitely!
      I think that learning about science is a fantastic way to learn more about the world. I think every child should grow up discovering their world through science and understanding!
      I have organized many activities in museums and during the British Science Week for children and teenagers and I have realised how enriching it is for children to learn about science since they are young. 🙂

    • Photo: Verity Hill

      Verity Hill answered on 7 Nov 2018:

      Ye I think most kids are actually quite interested in science. You often see young children playing with insects, or asking why animals behave like they do, or why the sky is blue – this is all science! I think sometimes the way science is taught when you’re young can take some of the joy out of it, but it’s important to learn how to ask the right questions.
      I also think that a good general idea of lots of science helps people in their day to day lives, even if it’s just so that they understand why you shouldn’t take antibiotics for a cold (it’s a virus! antibiotics only work on bacteria), or why climate change is happening.
      Nobody should be forced to do anything though, because honestly they’ll hate it and not learn anything anyway!

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