14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new statistical study, it would appear that about four in five British parents cannot answer basic scientific questions that their children ask, such as “What makes a rainbow?” or “Why is the sky blue?” Moreover, one in five parents seem to believe that their children know more about science than they do.
The new survey was carried out on some 1,002 parents, all having children aged between 5 and 16. The assessment was carried out in order to mark the opening of a new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website, the BBC News informs.
Experts say that this trend is very worrying, mostly because kids of a young age are tremendously curious. If they cannot find the answers they seek with their parents, then they could easily turn to other sources, such as the Internet or friends, which could provide wrong or misleading answers.
That is one of the main reasons why the new website provides parents with tips on how to answer these questions, as well as a large number of downloadable activity sheets, and lists of interesting, science-related places that children could visit with their parents.
The answer to the “Great Question” that children have – where they come from – is explained on the website in the simplest manner possible, as a cell from a woman and a cell from a man fusing together, and then dividing continuously until the baby is formed.
The appearance of the rainbow on the sky is explained as something made from water and light, in which sunlight plays the most important role. The blueness of the sky is said to be owed to the fact that, on a clear day, air reflects blue light coming in from the Sun more efficiently than it does red light.
This explanation is connected to the one on rainbows, and parents are encouraged to teach their children that white light is actually made up of all other colors, and that it can be broken apart with a simple prism.
“Kids are incredibly curious, constantly wondering about the world around them. Why is the sky blue? How do flowers grow? There's no end to the things they want to know. An inquisitive mind is a good thing, but can leave parents in a sticky situation if they don't know the answers,” says Lindsey Fallow, who is the Former Tomorrow's World presenter.
“Like all parents, I've had to cope with many questions from my children. The 'Science: So what? So everything' website will help parents get ready for the onslaught of questions their kids throw at them and fuel their children's curiosity at the same time,” adds the UK Minister for Science and Innovation Lord Drayson, who is himself the father of five.