Science Toys
By: Marianne M. Szymanski
President, Toy Tips, Inc.
What
are science toys?
Science
toys are individual toys or elaborate kits that allow
a child to encourage exploring, discovery, geography,
environments, experiments, how and why things work,
magnetic fields, the study of space, insects, gravity,
chemistry, the laws of physics, the study of weather,
human anatomy, the science of the five senses, electricity,
planets and weight.
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Tips
for buying science toys:
- For
parents: Prepare to offer adult supervision
if necessary
- For
teachers: Buy science toys for use in
the classroom with a particular lesson
- Buy
toys or kits that include all pieces.
If they don’t , make sure to buy
all the additional tools necessary for
the child to get started right away
or help the child shop for them.
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What
do science toys teach a child?
- Allow
children to use thinking skills, deductive reasoning,
logic and imagination.
- To
use fine motor skills for experiments and discovery
- Social
interaction with other children when experiments
are conducted as a group.
At
what age is it appropriate to introduce science toys
to a child?
- When
the child shows an interest. Be sure the child understands
how to use the toy.
- To
enhance learning or expand on science lessons taught
in school
When
shopping, what are the best types of science toys
to look for:
- Mulitple
experiment science kits that allow a child to explore
imagination and independent learning with more than
one experiment in a specific study.
- Individual
toys that teach one specific technique of science
so a child may concentrate on learning and studying
one specific science-related idea.
