science
Personalized Learning

Boost Science Literacy with Music

wkehl

If you ever watched Bill Nye the Science Guy, you probably remember the song parodies his episodes featured, which rewrote the lyrics of popular songs with scientific themes. Sure, getting the song stuck in your head will probably help you remember a few facts, but the benefits of music to learning science could go beyond just helping your memory.
Personalized Learning

Engineering for Families

wkehl

Developed by the Foundation for Family Science & Engineering with support from the National Science Foundation, Family Engineering provides resources for elementary age children and their families to learn engineering through inquiry, as well as creativity, teamwork, and collaborative problem solving.
Personalized Learning

Citizen Science

wkehl

Last month, while enjoying a hike on Mount Rainier, I participated in a citizen science project to help document wildflowers. You may have heard of "citizen science" - a scientist or a research group asks for help from the public to, say, identify wildflowers or monitor water quality in a local stream. Does it actually work?
Personalized Learning

Science, brains, & learning languages

wkehl

We've known for several decades that there is a critical period for learning language: children are more likely to reach native (or native-like) fluency in language(s) that they learn before age 5. (The exact age and importance of this window is not written in stone.) The good news is that the benefits of learning a language do not disappear after age 5. A recent deluge of studies point to interesting and encouraging links between learning languages and the brain.