Looking for Fun and Games? Try a Math and Science Night Family Night Out at School!

Last Thursday we went to T’s school for a Math and Science Family Night. It was enlightening. And fun-tastic.

T and another boy “play” with a scale in the science lab at his school’s math and science night.

Staff and older students did a phenomenal job setting up various math and science centers for kids (and adults) of all ages. T’s school has a science lab, which was where they staged the science centers. Health, engineering, and life sciences were represented along with many other topics.

An electrical science center invited kids and adults to plug away at circuitry.

An electrical circuit center invited kids and adults to plug away in the science lab during the school’s math and science night.

Kids and adults could handle model pieces of muscle and fat to see that the same amount of each doesn't necessarily weight (or feel) the same. In the background is a chart showing the various fat measurements in some more popular kids' foods. Enlightening!

Kids and adults could handle model pieces of muscle and fat to see that the same amount of each doesn’t necessarily weigh (or feel) the same. In the background are different charts showing the various fat and salt measurements in some of the more popular kids’ foods. Food for thought indeed!

Math centers were set up in the cafeteria, separated by grade level, and each area had activities ranging from individual tasks like “Ship Shapes” to multi-person games like “Math Bingo” (for the K set).

Welcome to the Math Cafeteria. Attendees could pick and choose their math grade level and from there participate in a number of different math-based activities and games.

Welcome to the “Math Cafeteria.” Attendees could find their grade level and from there participate in a number of math-based activities and games.

T’s favorite part? The marble runs. And look how easy they are to set up. Take some pipe insulation (split in half the long way), some masking tape (to secure the runs in different patterns), and marbles, and roll on. Now I wish I’d saved my bucks on that fancy marble run; C happens to have tons of this pipe insulation in our garage (d’oh!).

Kids of all ages work together making a Marble Rollercoaster at the school’s math and science night last week.

T watching the marbles rolling down his rollercoaster run.

This older student sat down and took time to help T with his Marble Rollercoaster. Kids of all ages played and worked together at his Math and Science Family Night Out last week.

More marble experimenting at Math and Science Night.

C and T working together to improve the marble run.

Signs like this one for the Marble Rollercoaster explain to the kids and adults exactly what is happening at each of the stations in both the math and science labs.

I think my favorite part were the walking sticks (bugs). They didn’t like my sweater too much (their hairs on their legs kept getting stuck), so C let them walk all over him instead. Thanks, C!

C watches the walking stick crawl on his arm during Math and Science Family Night Out at T's school.

C watches a walking stick crawl on his arm during the school’s Math and Science Family Night Out.

Walking Stick. Just one of several interesting exhibits at T's school's Math and Science Family Night Out.

A walking stick terrarium was just one of several interesting exhibits at T’s school’s Math and Science Family Night Out.

As for the math half of the evening, T got right to work setting up the color blocking patterns. When we asked how he knew which colors went where (he had to match the colored squares to words on a grid), he said he knew which colors went where because of the first letters in the words. OK, so not reading per se, but oh-so-close!

T makes a color blocking pattern in the math center at the school Math and Science Family Night Out.

So, in conclusion:

Observation: While some people find math and science interesting, engaging, exciting, and fun, others need a little push toward the two topics via non-threatening methods and means.
Question: What if there was a night that kids and their parents could come to “play” math and science games together?
Hypothesis: Through a number of fun, hands-on math and science stations, both kids and adults have fun doing math and science… and they don’t even realize they are doing it/ learning anything.
Plan and Do a Test: Bring families to school one weeknight for a Math and Science Family Night Out.
Record and Analyze: We saw kids and adults working and playing together. They laughed and appeared to be having a great time in the science and math labs together. Attendees asked questions and teachers and other lab staff volunteers answered them throughout the evening, further enhancing the educational experience.
Conclusion: A problem-free, fun-filled, and educational time was had by all at the school’s Math and Science Family Night Out!

I think that sums it up, RMT’ers!

QUESTION: What fun, free activities has your child(ren)’s school sponsored to encourage learning in a fun and non-threatening way?

Please don’t forget to vote “Real Mom Time” as a Circle of Moms 2013 Top 25 Mom Blog in So Cal! You can do so by clicking here to vote directly; or, if you want to see the whole list, click the button above and scroll through and find me to vote next to my spot on the list. You can vote once daily (every 24 hours) through Tuesday July 30 at 4 p.m. Thank you so much!