How to Use Newspapers to Teach Science

Science education isn't limited to sitting in a classroom, peering through a microscope or dissecting frogs. Science is all around you every day. One way to learn about what's going on in your world, locally, nationally and internationally, is to read the newspaper.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Check out the weather forecast. This section of the paper provides information on sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, moonsets, pollen count, air quality and tidal information. You can have wonderful discussions about allergens, the changes in the tides and the impact of global warming.
2. Launch your children into space. Scour the newspaper for articles on what's going on at the Kennedy Space Center, NASA, the next shuttle launch or satellite launches in other countries. Reading articles about space travel can ignite a child's interest in becoming an astronaut or learning more about constellations, gravity, planets or spaceships. Explain how astronauts leave the pull of gravity, navigate through space and return to earth.
3. Travel around the world in 80 pages. Scan the travel section of the newspaper for pieces on the 50 states and countries across the globe. These articles usually have information regarding their climate and indigenous plants and wildlife. You can start researching how you could survive in these destinations and discuss whether the plants and wildlife could survive in your hometown.
4. Read the health section for articles on the latest drug trials, medical procedures or research to open up a discussion on medical science. Stories on cloning or stem-cell research may spark some interest in your children and make science more fun and interesting.
5. Look at the food section. Break down the recipes nutritionally and discuss which ingredients provide what value to the body and how.
6. Cut out articles regarding new technology. While this may seem out of the science realm, it's really not. Talking about how new technological advances may affect the environment or health ties technology into science class.

Tips & Warnings

• Subscribe to your local newspapers and have them delivered daily. If your child doesn't have the time to read the whole paper, clip relevant articles and put them aside for her to read when she gets home from school.
• Give your son the chance to teach others. Have him ask his science teacher if he can share what he's learned recently from a newspaper article. He might earn extra credit and become more comfortable speaking in public.