Make math and science fun for kids

WHYY encourages children to expand their minds by exploring the worlds of science and math at home. The interactive television show ZOOM, which airs weekdays at 2:30 p.m. on TV12, makes learning fun, helping kids to become both physically and mentally active through experimentation, asking questions, and problem solving.

Created for 5 to 11-year-olds, ZOOM inspires kids to be inventors and investigators. Each episode of ZOOM features an enthusiastic cast of ZOOMers, who take an active approach to learning by conducting science experiments, playing games, acting out skits and demonstrating recipes, which viewers are encouraged to try at home with their family and friends.

View

Science and math fun await young viewers each weekday at 2:30 p.m. on ZOOM.

Do

Floating Paper Clip

Hands-on science experiments are a great way for kids to actively learn. Provide your child with a cup of water, 2 paper clips and a paper towel, and ask him or her to follow these simple steps:

Drop a paper clip into a cup of water. What happens?

Tear off a piece of paper towel that is slightly larger than the paper clip. Place the piece of paper towel on top of the water. Gently place the second paper clip on the piece of paper towel. Wait a few minutes. Now what happens?

Here is a science clue: If you drop a paper clip in water, it will sink. If you put the paper clip on a piece of paper towel, the paper towel sinks but the paper clip floats. Water molecules are attracted to each other in all directions, making them Ôø‡stickÔø‡ together. However, the water molecules at the surface Ôø‡stickÔø‡ only to molecules next to and below them. This makes the surface act as if it had a thin Ôø‡skin.Ôø‡ This is called surface tension. The paper towel helps you to lower the paper clip onto the surface gently without breaking the surface tension. If you are very careful, you can float the paper clip on the water without using the paper towel.

Have your child experiment by adding a drop of liquid soap or another liquid into the water, and make a prediction. After testing it, your child can send his or her results to ZOOM.

This activity is provided by ZOOMsci Activities. Visit http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci for more information.

Read

Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen One warm, sunny morning, a cow, a donkey, a sheep, a pig and a mouse decide to go for a row in a tiny boat, but the boat sinks! This charming story helps strengthen a young child's math and problem-solving skills by inviting them to guess which animal causes the boat to sink through the catchy refrain "Do you know who sank the boat?". Recommended for children aged 4 to 6.

A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick While admiring amazing photographs capturing such moments as the Ôø‡crownÔø‡ created by a water drop splashing in a pool, or a Ôø‡wild waveÔø‡ caused by an egg dropped in a water glass, readers will learn about evaporation, condensation, snowflakes, how clouds form, and more science concepts. Recommended for children aged 8 to 11.

Learn More

ZOOM's interactive Web site at http://www.pbskids.org/zoom gives children a chance to further explore the activities presented on the show. The site features such sections as: "ZOOM Into Action," which teaches kids to make a difference by becoming a volunteer; "ZOOM Into Engineering," which presents fun engineering activities and information on how kids can participate in National Engineers Week; and "Send it to ZOOM," which encourages kids to submit their own ideas to the show's producers.