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One of my goals as a future teacher is to try and include parents into their child's education as much as possible. I understand that this is challenging for many reasons. I have researched ways to include parents in reading and math but have not come across much for science. What are some good strategies for including parents in science?

I would love to see the responses to this post as a future teacher as well I plan on involving parents as much as possible.

Hello, Like Kris, I am also interested in the responses to this post. As a future teacher, I also plan to involve parents (and/or guardians) in my classroom as much as possible. I strongly believe that parent (and/or guardian) involvement in their child(ren)'s education improves the child(ren)'s educational attainment and ongoing engagement in education.

Hello! This is a great question. I myself as a future educator find myself worried about parent involvement. Some of the teachers I have observed some primary teachers who involve the parents by making community projects such as a community garden on their campus. Other things I've also seen teachers who send home mini experiments that can be done with your everyday household items. Specifically I saw a teacher send home a "Weather Watcher" it was a chart that parents had to fill out with their child at home. The students were asked to measure water (for rain), and use a smartphone with a parent to record the days low and high temperature as well as the humidity. I saw that this was fun for the students as well as very easy for the parents to do. It takes a lot of planning ahead but I think it is worth the effort!

I think this is a great topic. It's true that we find so many ways to get parents involved in other disciplines, but not science as much. I think it might be a great idea to reach out to any parents who may be involved in a science field and have them come in and give a presentation for students. If there are any labs that need support, it could be a great opportunity to invite parents in to help and also observe. Also, any student-parent take home science projects could be a great way for parents and children to work together in understanding science. I think some parents are just as eager to learn what their students are a learning that providing them opportunities to get involved in science is great!

Hi, I am a future teacher and a parent of two boys. As a future teacher, I am very interested to see some of the ideas on this forum. AS a parent, I can give a few suggestions on some of the ways I introduce science with my students. Similar to reading, parents can read books that focuses on science content. Teachers are encourage to use trade books inside the classroom. Another way is to recommend parents to take their children to botanical parks or museums. Lastly, ask parents to use the sources available in their backyard. I have a bush that butterflies love to lay their eggs and me and my boys are always observing the butterfly life cycle on the bush and we discuses our observations. This is great topic to introduce on this community forum.

As a future teacher, I would also, love to keep parents involved in what is done in class, especially during science lessons. I have thought of a couple ideas to do this. When I was younger, my teacher would have me write down the weather together with my parents. Every student had to go home and together with their parents write down how the weather was for that day. I remember waiting patiently for my parents to get home from work to write it down on the paper we had on the fridge. Another way that parents can be involved with the students in the classroom is by having a lesson on recycling and having the parents and students recycle together. The students can photograph themselves with their parents/ legal guardians while doing this and share the pictures with the class.

I agree with Robin. Even if parents are not very involved, sending home resources for museums, science events, and internet resources gives the parents an idea of what you value as a teacher. The more parental communication the better!

I loved the idea of a monthly/weekly newsletter. I rarely see parent involvement when it comes to science. What a great idea!

I think weekly updates are a great way to keep parents up to date with what their students are dong in the classroom either in the form of a newsletter or even just an email. Some schools do "Tuesday Folders" where the students take home all of their work from the week before and any failing grades have to be signed and returned to the teacher. This helps parents know what their kids have done and their scores for the task but not necessarily what to look forward to or what is currently being learned. Just some food for thought!

I have recently stumbled upon an idea of a Family Science Night. It would allow students and their parents to engage in experiments together on topics that they would be interested in learning about. I personally never been to any (academic) Family Nights so I'm not sure how they are set up, but it sounds like a great idea. I think if parents show interests in learning, their kids will too. I would google or Pinterest the idea for more information.

The app Edmodo is a great resource to stay connected to parents and keep them involved in their child's learning. They can check in whenever they want and see the assignments, work, or any classroom discussion. It creates an easy and open line of communication between the student, teacher, and parents.

The app Edmodo is a great resource to stay connected to parents and keep them involved in their child's learning. They can check in whenever they want and see the assignments, work, or any classroom discussion. It creates an easy and open line of communication between the student, teacher, and parents.

Thanks for posting this! Inviting the parents to join science experiments in the class is something. My guide teacher asked the students to ask their parents to help them take pictures of plants/trees in their neighborhood for an Earth day project. Getting parents involved in all areas of school is definitely a big goal.

I love including parents in the work that we do in the classroom. I have a classroom website that is accessible to students and parents from home. A few of the items included is a sub-page for parents with articles to help their children be successful, not only inschool, but also in life. I host class events outside the classroom about once each month to build community. Parents must attend with their child. It could be something as simple as a nature walk, Check your city for local (free) events. You can also plan a schoolwide science event, such as Science Super Heroes, and present science ideas through music and song. Who wouldn't want to see their teacher on stage, dressed as a super hero, singing about science! Each child would have to be chaperoned by at least one parent. Include siblings.

I put a newsletter out every week. I also, invite parents to help run labs.

I put a newsletter out every week. I also, invite parents to help run labs.