Lindsey Fallow,
UK parents are facing a crisis of confidence this summer, as research for the Science: [So what? so everything] campaign reveals that 80% have been left stumped by the science questions their children have asked them, with a fifth of parents left feeling silly as a result.
The research from Science: [So what? So everything], found that the top three questions that parents have been asked by their kids are where do babies come from? (60%), what makes a rainbow? (43%) and why is the sky blue? (30%).
Other questions included where do bees go in winter?, what is a burp?, and where do bogeys come from?.
Over half of the parents polled said they think that their children know more about the science behind the way things work than they do, with 20% of parents saying they have felt silly when asked a question they don’t know the answer to.
When faced with tricky science-based questions like these, parents have a range of diversionary tactics up their sleeves:
- 30% of parents have told their kids to ask their partner, with mums three times more likely to do this than dads
- 20% have told their kids they’ll explain the answer when they are older.
- Dads are more likely than mums to make up the answer to a question, rather than admit they didn’t know it (9%), while mums say they’ll answer later, hoping their children will forget they asked (14%)
Former Tomorrow’s World presenter Lindsey Fallow, who has spent the past decade exploring science and technology as a writer, software developer, and television personality, says:
"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. That’s why the Science: So what? So everything campaign is encouraging families to find answers to some of these puzzling questions this summer."
To help arm parents with the science facts they need to answer their kids’ queries for the rest of the holiday period, the Science: [So what? So everything] campaign has launched a new section of its website to help parents of young children answer some of the trickiest questions their children ask.
As well as finding answers to some of their kids’ questions, parents can download five activity sheets with fun facts and figures, science-related activities to do, and places to go to help the whole family understand more about the science behind the way things work.
The Minister for Science and Innovation and father of five, Lord Drayson said:
"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."