Birds and babies: kids' questions parents dread

Where babies come from is just one of the classic questions that children have always asked their parents. But it seems mum and dad can’t always answer them – particularly if they’re science-related. New research shows that although most parents have a good understanding of scientific principles, around half of 1,000 parents polled couldn’t correctly answer all of a series of questions such as ‘why does a cruise ship carrying 400 people float?’ and ‘why do your hands and feet go wrinkly in the bath?’. The research, conducted for Shell UK on the social networking site Mumsnet, found that 18 per cent of parents avoid talking to their children about science, and only 32 per cent regularly talk to their kids about how science works in everyday life, such as explaining why steam comes out of a boiling kettle, the UK’s Press Association reported. The poll also revealed that the questions parents most dread being asked are: Why is the sky blue? (29per cent) Why does the car work? (21per cent) Why can birds fly? (15per cent) What is water made of? (10per cent) How do fish breathe? (9per cent) The infamous ‘where do babies come from?’ question was only dreaded by 1 per cent of parents. The vast majority of parents polled (99 per cent) recognised that talking to children about science at home makes a ‘significant or massive’ difference to their progress at school. However, reasons given for not having regular science conversations with children included feeling under-qualified due to poor grades at school (18 per cent), not understanding science (15 per cent) and a lack of available information (12 per cent). The research was commissioned by the Shell Education Service, which supports science education through science workshops delivered to over 60,000 UK primary school children every year. Former primary school teacher Meg Post, who now teaches primary-age children at Shell Education Service science workshops, says many parents don’t initiate basic science conversations because they’re afraid of giving the wrong answers to questions. “It’s not really a question of the right answers,” she was quoted by the wire service as saying, “you can look those up together. “It’s about introducing a new way of thinking to your children. Even expert scientists have areas of science where they don’t know the answers - it’s a very big field.” She stressed that if parents do know the answers to questions, they may need to be ‘watered down’ so the child understands them. “You can’t water it down so much that it’s inaccurate, though,” she warned. “You need to choose your material well, and it’s much easier to start with something that’s in front of you, and work on that. “Everything that goes on in a kitchen could be linked to science, like steam coming off a boiling pan. It’s in front of parents and children all the time, and very accessible.” The teacher stressed that science is an exciting subject that needn’t be daunting, and said: “We need scientists and engineers for the future, and we need to start them young with an interest in science, and without a fear of it. It’s a fascinating field, and it’s so essential that children take it up.” She suggested parents try the experiments with their children in the summer holidays, and stressed: “Children have a natural curiosity about the world around them that you should foster from when they’re very tiny. Prompt your children’s curiosity, try things out - especially if you don’t mind making a bit of a mess occasionally - and enjoy them together.” Rachel Foster, associate editor of Mumsnet, added: “Some parents worry about giving the wrong answer to some of the more difficult science questions asked by their children, and as a result are avoiding discussing the subject altogether. Mumsnetters are always looking for fun and educational things to do with the family, particularly over the long summer holiday, and the booklet presents a great opportunity for families to learn together while also having fun.”