At last! A practical, readable guide for teachers, school leaders, and parent/teacher associations that shows how to plan fun, hands-on science nights! Get easy-to-implement, content-rich tips and ideas that will cultivate positive attitudes toward science! Learn how to involve and actively engage families in their children's science education. Divided into two sections, this highly organized book provides the essential strategies needed to run a successful, fun, cost-effective Family Science Night—from beginning to end.
- Getting Started: a step-by-step guide to organizing the event.
- Action Toolkit: ideas and instructions for a variety of hands-on activities for students to do with their families.
You get a wealth of resources, including an organizer's checklist for each station, sources for supplies you'll need, reproducible "Family Fun Cards" to guide families at each station, setup instructions, and several stations that include take-home crafts families can work on together!
Chapter 1: Finding Funding
Chapter 2: Forming a Planning Committee
Chapter 3: Getting Volunteers
Chapter 4: Buying and Storing Materials
Chapter 5: Planning Your Stations
Part II: Action Toolkit
Index and Learning Objectives for Family Science Night Stations
Fishing for Planets
Fossil Hunt
Animal Tessellations
Germ Glow
Floating Balls
Bubble Shapes
Paint a Mold
Mobile Planetarium
Super Bubble
Fingerprint ID
Move to the Beat
Paper Airplane
Bloody Fingers
Clay Boat
Cover Your Bases
Super Sand
Crazy Worm
Baby Bottle...Pop!
Wacky Ball
Marker Magic
Soapy Boat
Bubble Glove
Biography
Shelley S. Connell, Ed.D., received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, earned a master’s degree and a doctorate at Morgan State University, and holds teaching certificates from Texas and New Jersey. It was in the classroom that she found a love for merging her two passions—education and science, having first been employed as a laboratory scientist in Maryland. She has since authored peer-reviewed articles in science and education, evaluated a major mathematics and reading intervention program in the U.S. Virgin Islands schools, worked as an adjunct faculty member for Nova Southeastern University, and been a committed board member for her local PTA. Today, Shelley is a classroom teacher, provides science enrichment for school districts, continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member for Nova Southeastern, and is working on a science fiction series for children. As a teacher in both formal and informal classroom settings, she is passionate about building a strong connection with parents to empower their children to succeed in any subject area.Shelley currently lives in northern New Jersey with her husband of 11 years, two energetic children, and her dog, Blossom. She loves to travel with her family, read fantastic books, bake delicious desserts and breakfast foods, and stay active in her church. She is always on the lookout for new and exciting twists on scientific investigations.