I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.
-Albert Einstein
Children are naturally born curious with an innate desire to explore the world, learn about the various intriguing aspects and wonders of the world.
Fuel a child’s curiosity and the inborn drive to learn how world works, by enriching his/her environment with simple day to day activities.
What more? These can also become conversation builders with your older children.
Enjoy the themes brought to you by ThinkBag under the series of “Science is Fun” .
Today's theme- Understanding Energy
So how would you explain the concept of energy to your little one, drawing examples from our daily life?
Before you explain any concept or share information with your child, ask a few guiding questions to prompt the child to do some thinking. Then slowly introduce the concept.
Please note that the questions are NOT intended to grill the child but to initiate the thinking process which aids in subsequent learning.
So, start with some questions like these…for example:
So, how do you think the fan moves?
How are able to run? What do you need to run?
What does the fan need to move?
And so on… ask follow on questions based on responses from the child.
What is energy?
Energy is the ability to do work.
Work can be anything like running, moving, heating etc.
People need energy to do work. Where does this energy come from?
Gadgets or appliances need energy to do work. Ask your child to identify all the devices/objects outside or inside the house that need energy.
Ex: TV, fridge, mixer/grinder, Microwave, computer, Lights, fans washing machine, geysers
Energy changes from one form to another -
For ex: When you turn on the fan, electrical energy changes to mechanical energy.
When you turn on the geyser, electrical energy changes to heat energy and heats the water.
When you turn on the light, electrical energy changes to light energy.
Mechanical energy
Child riding a bicycle is an excellent example.
The main point to note here is that using the above snippets of questions for reference, you as the facilitator enable your child to understand the concept of energy. Take every learning opportunity in your day to day life and draw your child’s attention to it and watch your child experience the joy and fun of learning.
Happy exploring with your child!!!!
