As overwhelming as it might feel to combine online schooling with working from home and all your other household tasks, it helps if you remember that learning should be fun. And Science is one of those topics that should really be learned in the most hands-on, fun way possible so the ideas stick. In fact, all kids are born as little scientists, curious about their world, and excited for experiments. It’s our job to indulge in those curiosities as far as they go, and keep it safe! Here are some cool easy experiments and a few online resources if they need to understand a concept in a more tangible way.

Mad Science Winter Vacation Class Pack: Online Lessons and Materials Shipped to You

In response to parents’ requests for ways to keep kids entertained over the Chinese New Year, Mad Science is holding a special winter discount on their 9 online live bilingual classes and a course kit with 50+ labs inside a box. The teachers send a preview of the material before class, interact with the kids while conducting experiments, and integrate science facts and review so the concepts really sink in. Classes start Feb 1 and the live component is twice a week between the hours of 9.30am-12pm depending on your child’s age. Scan the QR code for more info.

Outschool

We got into the Outschool habit last spring, and still love to join a class or social club or two when it’s a subject that interests my kids. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right teacher, but the coolest thing about Outschool is the teachers combine learning with popular games, shows, and more. So that’s how you get Mario Math, Jedi training, LEGO Build clubs, and an assortment of cool science-related courses as well. Some are one-offs and others recurring. It gets tricky with the timezones, but we’ve found many good options no matter when we were available.

NASA Stem for Students

With topics like exploring the space station, NASA’s Search and Rescue office, build an airplane/spacecraft, and decoding secret messages, plus coloring pages, interactive games, and free science-related books, your kids could explore the NASA sit for days! And it is all for free. Scan QR code to start your astronaut training.

SciShow Kids

Every since SciShow Kids premiered, we’ve been excited to share it with our kids. Especially once they got into their “Why?” phase, most questions about nature or how the world works science wise are explained in a non-condescending and factual way, with great graphics to help kids understand the concepts. Their videos are neatly organized in playlists and very easy to find. Older students will also enjoy SciShow, SciShow Space, and SciShow Psych. SciShow also has a game show which is a cool way to “quiz” kids but make it fun!

KEEP READING: Say It Like You Mean It: Online Chinese Learning Resources for Kids

Photos: courtesy of websites, Cindy Marie Jenkins

A team of the UK’s top space scientists and science teachers arrived in China this week to launch a new program using space science in schools. They hope to inspire the next generation of innovative thinkers: budding climate scientists, engineers, and even astronauts. The program was launched at a ceremony attended by VIPs from Chaoyang Education Authority, National Space Academy (www.nationalspaceacademy.org), and the British Embassy, at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi (BSB), on Tuesday, 15 March 2016.

It opened with the BSB Secondary Orchestra serenading the attendees with an aptly chosen composition, the Star Wars theme. The presentation in their theater set up like a small space station, started with a short address by Andy Puttock, principal at BSB, who welcomed all the guests and stressed on the importance of Space Education in schools, to inspire future generations with a love of learning. His welcome address was followed by other speakers and the speaker program ended with a very inspiring talk by Anu Ojha OBE, Director of NSA. Ojha focused on educating everyone on the implications of space science studies in schools, and hoped this opportunity would provide a chance to develop a long-term partnership with schools and organizations in China. After the presentation we followed the visiting team, to witness a demonstration of how Space Education can be implemented in a classroom environment. The students were extremely excited and their curiosity coupled with their enthusiasm to get on-board was definitely an indication of the potential of this program.

The Space Academy already runs masterclasses for 7,000 students and teacher training for 1,000 teachers across the UK annually. This is the first time the program will run in China. The program is part of a wider space education and training relationship between the UK and China. The National Space Academy team will discuss with Chinese partners the potential to develop a wider joint program of teacher training and student masterclasses that synthesize the very best practice from education and science systems in both China and the UK. Although BSB was the first school to buy into this program and launch it, the NSA team have other schools they intend to visit during this trip. It is being introduced into Key Stage 3 (Middle School) curriculum with intensive student masterclasses at secondary level and will continue all the way through to High School, with options for graduates to explore it further into college.

Photos: Courtesy of BSB Shunyi