My dd wants to be a "scientist"...how should I help her get there?

[Aunty Social]

My middle dd (6th grade) thinks she wants to do something with science when she's an adult. She doesn't know exactly what yet, but is leaning toward a plant/botanical type area.

 

So....how do I help her to do this? I realize it's early yet, and don't want to focus on science to the exclusion of other subjects, but would like to encourage and expand her horizons a bit. Maybe find out what careers there are, the types of things they do, etc.

 

Any ideas?

[lisabees]

There are no scientists in my home, but this is a great question for the high school board! They'll supply you with many wonderful suggestions. :001_smile:

[regentrude]

The single most important thing: make sure she has a solid math education. By that, I mean prealgebra and algebra. I am a college instructor and I see every semester how students are unsuccessful in college science classes because they lack the kind of math skills they should have mastered in Middle School and Jr high. More important than calculus or any advanced science classes is a thorough mastery of algebra.

[hillfarm]

I worked for many years as a marine biologist and the main thing I recommend to young people who are considering becoming scientists is to find someone who is doing the type of work you are interested in and shadow them, if possible.

 

I spoke to countless kids who thought being a marine biologist meant draping one's self decoratively on the railing of a boat and calmly counting the dolphins who so conveniently swam by in a single file line. They were crushed when I pointed out that most new marine biologists I knew didn't make much money and spent an average of 22 days at the desk to every 1 day in the field. And that most of them counted algae cells or conch larvae instead of dolphins.

 

So make sure your budding scientist has a good handle on where their education is leading. Sadly some of the kids I spoke with had kept their eye glued so tightly to the microscope that they had developed few social skills, no fall-back plan, and little idea of what careers were actually open to them - even by the end of college in some cases. And were therefore crushed to discover that they had been chasing a fantasy that didn't exist in real life.

[Hunter]

You can use science as prompts for other studies. Latin and Greek are big parts of science. Being able to draw helps, and good observation skills. Color theory is art and science. Spirals are art and science. Being able to swim well is essential in some branches, and to be physically fit. Researching and writing science reports is English. Science Fiction is science. Jewelry making is science. Cooking is science.

 

It just goes on and on. On the high school board someone recently asked a similar question about art.

 

I too have heard that basic math, algebra 1 and statistics are essential, and shouldn't be rushed through to get to calculus. New York and England cover statistics at the high school level, much more in depth than American curriculums. Covering spreadsheets should be included in the statistics.

[Aunty Social]

The single most important thing: make sure she has a solid math education. By that, I mean prealgebra and algebra. I am a college instructor and I see every semester how students are unsuccessful in college science classes because they lack the kind of math skills they should have mastered in Middle School and Jr high. More important than calculus or any advanced science classes is a thorough mastery of algebra.

 

I'll make sure we keep up on the math - fortunately she is good at it, even though it's not her favorite subject. As long as she is understanding and consistently applying the concepts and is on track to complete algebra by the end of 8th grade, is that going to be ok? If we need to slow down to get a really firm grasp of algebra and don't finish it until the end of 9th grade, is that going to put her behind, or still be good?

 

I worked for many years as a marine biologist and the main thing I recommend to young people who are considering becoming scientists is to find someone who is doing the type of work you are interested in and shadow them, if possible.

 

I spoke to countless kids who thought being a marine biologist meant draping one's self decoratively on the railing of a boat and calmly counting the dolphins who so conveniently swam by in a single file line. They were crushed when I pointed out that most new marine biologists I knew didn't make much money and spent an average of 22 days at the desk to every 1 day in the field. And that most of them counted algae cells or conch larvae instead of dolphins.

 

So make sure your budding scientist has a good handle on where their education is leading. Sadly some of the kids I spoke with had kept their eye glued so tightly to the microscope that they had developed few social skills, no fall-back plan, and little idea of what careers were actually open to them - even by the end of college in some cases. And were therefore crushed to discover that they had been chasing a fantasy that didn't exist in real life.

 

Any recommendations about how to find out where to even start deciding what field to look for someone to shadow? Should I just call the local colleges? All she knows is "I think I want to do something with plants". It sounds to me as though she is interested in some type of agricultural, nutritional science or herbal pharmacology. Are there any books/videos/ what have you out there that explain or show the typical duties of various fields? Or for that matter, what the various fields even are?

[Aunty Social]

You can use science as prompts for other studies. Latin and Greek are big parts of science. Being able to draw helps, and good observation skills. Color theory is art and science. Spirals are art and science. Being able to swim well is essential in some branches, and to be physically fit. Researching and writing science reports is English. Science Fiction is science. Jewelry making is science. Cooking is science.

 

It just goes on and on. On the high school board someone recently asked a similar question about art.

 

I too have heard that basic math, algebra 1 and statistics are essential, and shouldn't be rushed through to get to calculus. New York and England cover statistics at the high school level, much more in depth than American curriculums. Covering spreadsheets should be included in the statistics.

 

Thank you! Some good points. I had forgone Latin in favor of French, because I was slightly familiar with it, and it was what interested the kids....but had forgotten about the heavy Latin and Greek influence in science. I'll look at incorporating it (slowly) into our schedule. Good point about the statistics, too. We won't be to that point for a few years, but it's not something that was on my radar - even though when I read it I had a "duh, of course! (smack the forehead)" moment.

[regentrude]

As long as she is understanding and consistently applying the concepts and is on track to complete algebra by the end of 8th grade, is that going to be ok? If we need to slow down to get a really firm grasp of algebra and don't finish it until the end of 9th grade, is that going to put her behind, or still be good?

 

 

She will be fine either way - hurrying through algebra in order to advance faster would be a huge mistake. She should take as much time as necessary to thoroughly understand the concepts and to develop mastery of the skills. Getting to calculus in high school would be nice, but it will not be a deal breaker- most colleges would want the students to take their calculus anyway.

[hillfarm]

Any recommendations about how to find out where to even start deciding what field to look for someone to shadow? Should I just call the local colleges? All she knows is "I think I want to do something with plants". It sounds to me as though she is interested in some type of agricultural, nutritional science or herbal pharmacology. Are there any books/videos/ what have you out there that explain or show the typical duties of various fields? Or for that matter, what the various fields even are?

 

Why not make this research part of her work? Have her outline the various branches of plant based fields of study. She could begin by perusing various college/university majors and then go to corporate websites and check out the titles of their staff members. There are several career choice resource type books that list various careers, which might also be helpful.

 

After she begins to hone in on a particular branch, you could contact the nearest school with a major in that field, or even an instructor with experience in that. Visit them and ask for additional leads.

 

There are also many botanical organizations that might be able to shed more light. http://www.sciencecentral.com/category/269965 contains a listing of many of them.

 

Where are you located? There may also be people at your local natural history museum who could be helpful, or even your local Extension Service, who would know about agriculture based majors and careers.

[katilac]

What about 4-H? It seems like they would have a lot of projects that fall in her area of interest, and they are very hands-on. Or Earth Scouts.

 

I agree that some career research would be very helpful. Make sure to keep it low-key; she just wants to get an idea of what's out there, not plot her course of graduate study. ((I really dislike it when parents are constantly saying with certainty, Beloved Daughter is going to be a veteranarian, and Beloved Son is going to be an architect, and the kids are like eight years old, lol. Puts pressure on them, imo.))

 

Does she have a garden? That would certainly be a good start. Check out any of the larger parks near you; they are often in constant need of volunteers to help with outdoor maintenance. At the national park near us, that translates into yanking up a lot of invasive plants by hand, but hey, you are learning about native plants, the perils of invasive plants, etc in a real world setting. And the rangers have a tremendous amount of knowledge to share.

 

Environmental groups, Earth Day efforts, etc.

 

Biographies of scientists, plus science oriented books in general. I like the ones that mix biography alongside the story of some great discovery. I don't really know any in that age range, but I should look into that for my own dd.

 

Kits and supplies to experiment and explore on her own. Don't restrict them to what she thinks her interest is going to be.

 

I agree with the shadowing, but I'd start with other things (as above). I think people are more open to mentoring a kid who has 'proven' their interest rather than a kid who shrugs and says, I like science. A kid who can say, I did a study on such and such and I've put in x hours volunteering at the nature preserve, is going to merit more attention.

[katilac]

I spoke to countless kids who thought being a marine biologist meant draping one's self decoratively on the railing of a boat and calmly counting the dolphins who so conveniently swam by in a single file line.

 

*is ded of the funny* :lol: :lol:

 

I talked about building up to shadowing in my other post, and I wanted to add that, as she researches and gets involved in things, she may discover resources in your area that you were never aware of. We found out that, not only does an obscure little town an hour aware from us house a LIGO center (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), but the also have a free science science center and offer tours that allow you to meet working scientists. Because LIGO is an international effort, we had the chance to speak with scientists from America, Germany, and France, as they worked. It was very cool! We have two girls, and one of the female scientists gave us her card and said they could email at any time with questions.

 

A funny aside: I asked if any language would be particularly helpful to science, hoping she would mention Latin ;), and they all chorused, "English!" Apparently English is the international language of science. That doesn't negate the help Latin will be in studying, but their united answer really hurt my Latin PR efforts, lol.

 

Oh, and The Teaching Company has cool dvds that talk about math and science in intriguing ways. Many libraries have them.

[EKS]

Ensure a solid foundation in math. Otherwise, offer a good, well rounded education through high school. Try to make it so she has time during high school to explore her interests. With my science/engineering bound son, I'm actually emphasizing the humanities more than might seem necessary because I'm quite sure that high school will be the last time he is exposed to them in any systematic way.

 

Also, be aware that kid's goals can change, sometimes radically. This is why the well roundedness is so important. Durning high school I had convinced everyone, including myself, that I would be an artist or a writer. My foundation in math was very weak. I ended up majoring in biochemistry in college and going on to work as a scientist.

[katilac]

Also, be aware that kid's goals can change, sometimes radically. This is why the well roundedness is so important. Durning high school I had convinced everyone, including myself, that I would be an artist or a writer. My foundation in math was very weak. I ended up majoring in biochemistry in college and going on to work as a scientist.

 

Very interesting! Was there anything in particular that led you to that path?

[Carol in Cal.]

Give her a jump start in the language of science. Each discipline in science and engineering has its own set of terms, and being comfortable with those early on is extremely helpful. I recommend Real Science 4 Kids, especially the chemistry and physics units, for this. Also, Science Explorer does a lot with true science language. Vocabulary Vine has a specific set for biology called Science Roots that I think would be very helpful (I have it but have not used it yet. DD will do it this coming summer.)

 

Go on a lot of field trips to science and natural history museums, and try all the hands on equipment you can. Get a microscope.

 

I agree that she should be persistent in math. She doesn't have to love it, though. Too many girls decide that they are not fitted for science or engineering because they don't really like math or because it doesn't come easily to them. That's not right. Math does not have to be loved, and it does not have to be easy. It just has to be slogged through. The most math I ever used in my engineering career was algebra and a little geometry. Getting through college math requirements mostly helped me get through college physics and physical chemistry requirements. As it happened, I didn't end up using those in my actual job, but they were degree requirements and very good to know thoroughly. So although sticking with math is crucial, loving it is not.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Carol in Cal.

[Aunty Social]

Ack! I had typed out a nice, multi-quoted reply commenting on all your advice and thanking you all individually, but my computer ate it.:glare:

 

So...Thanks! All the advice has been very helpful and given me some good jumping off points.