Science For Kids

What could be cooler for an aspiring scientist or engineer than a hands-on project working with and learning about electronics and optics? How about one where each student ends up with his or her own digital camera.

Such is the vision of Shree Nayar's BigShot, which the chair of Columbia University's computer science department has been carefully cultivating since 2006. Nayar, with help from some of his graduate students, has already developed a dozen prototypes of the build-it-yourself BigShot camera, an associated educational and social-networking Web site, www.bigshotcamera.org/ and several successful pilot tests with children around the world. Now he is ready to take this endeavor to the next level by finding someone who can manufacture, distribute and market the camera to parents and educators.

The BigShot is a kit designed for eight- to 14-year-olds, with more than a dozen individual pieces that must be assembled for the camera to function. Nayar envisions teachers or parents combining the building of the camera with lessons about each component's underlying function.

Nayar decided early in the development process that the camera would be only part of the project. He worked with Columbia computer science graduate students Guru Krishnan, Brian Smith and Vi Xuan Linh to produce a Web site rich in educational content. For example, there is a "Build" page on the BigShot Web site that takes the builder step-by-step through the process of assembling the camera and a Flash-animated "Learn" page that describes in detail how each part works.

Social networking
Earlier this month, Nayar and his team added an online quiz game called BrainShot www.bigshotcamera.org/index.php/brainshot/science to their Web site. The game, which they developed internally, already features more than 1,500 questions that challenge kids in the areas of science, photography and geography. Regardless of whether they use the BigShot camera, players can compete against one another and earn medals (digital, of course) when they perform well. The BigShot site also now features a world map that marks the different countries where BrainShot players live.

Dear Parents,

You send so many emails asking, “How do I encourage my child to pursue science?” It’s a noble endeavor, and of course, there’s no end to possible responses. Much depends on what each individual is interested in from marine science to space. While I welcome these inquiries, here’s the best suggestion I can offer: Rather than science specifically, focus on critical thinking!

No matter how advanced a student’s math skills or laboratory technique, it will be her ability to work through problems and develop creative solutions that sets her apart from peers. Foster her natural curiosity about the world. Perhaps most importantly, she needs to believe in herself and recognize what she is capable of.

And if you’re still seeking a good book to start with, my vote for elementary schoolers goes to Free To Be You And Me. topicfire.com/share/So-You-Want-Your-Chi...ection-17204371.html (DVD and audio are even better!). For young adults, books like Tracy Kidder’s outstanding Mountains Beyond Mountains about Dr. Paul Farmer topicfire.com/share/So-You-Want-Your-Chi...ection-17204371.html will help them recognize how one individual can have a tremendous positive impact on the world.

Today we kick off Scientific American's Bring Science Home initiative, which will offer 20 free tabletop science activities during the month of May. We hope they will make for easy—and fun—ways to enjoy science at home.

We based the activities and material on the National Science Education Standards for children ages 6 to 12 years old—to be undertaken with the help and guidance of an adult—so that they would echo some of the key topics students will encounter in the classroom. Although some concepts can be challenging, we hope they prompt good questions and new conversations. And most of all, we hope it's fun! Veteran science instructor and author Peggy Ashbrook emphasizes that more important than having all the answers is a willingness to work along side children to look and learn together.

Look for a new activity each weekday morning this month on ScientificAmerican.com and on our new Education page www.scientificamerican.com/education/ —and each Monday we'll post a video of an editor doing an activity with his or her kids. We hope you'll teach us a thing or two about your favorite ways to bring science home, too, so we invite you to leave comments below or on Scientific American's Facebook page. www.facebook.com/ScientificAmerican

Have you ever seen a magician sweep a tablecloth quickly off a table and leave all the plates and glasses still in place? The trick isn't magic at all—it's science! And you can use the same principle (without breaking any plates) to make a coin fall into a small container.

Introduction
Have you ever noticed your hair standing out on a dry day, or how a fuzzy fleece blanket can make sparks if you rub two sections of the blanket together in the dark? Both of these things are caused by electricity—which also runs as current through wires behind light switches and electrical outlets. But the form of electricity that causes hair to stand up, known as static electricity, is much weaker (though strong enough that a buildup of static electricity can cause a slightly painful shock if you touch the right surface).

Because it's weaker, static electricity doesn't work as well to power light bulbs or appliances, but you can make it do some surprising things around the house.