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Hi Stephanie, What a fun idea! I found a couple of articles in the Learning Center that may be helpful, let me know what you think. This article has a list of many ideas, so you may be able to only use a few of them to keep things easier: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/resource/?id=10.2505/4/ss07_031_03_47 I also found an article about a Math and Science Night, with some activities included: http://common.nsta.org/resource/?id=10.2505/4/sc11_048_05_58 Will this be the first time hosting a science night for you? Does anyone else have any tips or insight? -Megan

Stephanie, I think this is a really good idea for the middle school students and the elementary students who may get to be the guests. I am in college and my Science Methods class has done many science presentations and put on a sixth grade science day. The lessons that involve some sort of hands-on activity and a little competition seem to be the ones students have enjoyed and remember the most. I would also look into getting some of the high school students to help your middle schoolers, or even if you have a college near and can ask some of the preservice teachers to get involved. If you need any activities or lesson plan ideas, let me know!  Hope this helps, Adrienne

In the past, a colleague and I have hosted fantastic star parties. We found that when we put students' science projects on display (or even have students "man" their post to share about their project for a while), set out computers with Starry Night or pHET simulations, provide hot chocolate and a brief running science film, we get great turnout and participation from the community. If you need help, ask for parent volunteers to help watch the technical equipment, a local astronomy organization to run the telescopes, a group of high school students to point out constellations and have a fun night that students will remember for years to come!

Stephanie, While I don't have any ideas for you, I must say that I love the idea of opening up the event to elementary grades! I believe that (specifically students in 3rd-5th) would love the opportunity to be involved in a creative, hands-on opportunity, while being able to observe what the "older" students have created, and learn from them what they might not be able to learn from a teacher or fellow students in their grade! Haley

I hadn't heard of a science night before! I think that that is such a fun idea! I think that you could have 2 or 3 demonstrations and then have a handout for the families to take home so that they could do them at home too. You could also include follow up information about the experiments. One activity that you could do is have a "contest" for who can create a boat that holds the most number of pennies. I am interested to hear what you do with the science night and how it goes!

Hi Stephanie,

I am a student teacher and was recently placed at an elementary school and we had a family science night for the fourth and fifth grade. While these students were younger than middle school students, maybe you could use some of the things we did! Our family science night was centered around reflection and refraction of light. We had eight stations but one of the stations was a snack station with cookies and juice. The students and their families filtered through the different stations in a two hour period. At the beginning of the science night, the families received a packet that helped guide them through the stations. My station was a technology station where the students and their families watched an interactive video about the way light interacts with the eye. Then, I had the students and their families play kahoot to 'test' their knowledge. Some of the students wanted to play against their parents, which was a fun aspect of the stations. The stations were interactive and different teachers ran each stations. I think this event helped us develop relationships with the families, too. I hope you might be able to use some of the ways we ran our science night. I know this post is from a few months ago, so if you have already had your science night I would love to hear how it went! If so, what suggestions might you have for our next family science night?

Kayla Herman

Hello Stephanie! I am a current preservice teacher and I have volunteered for a few science nights in the past! My experience has mostly been with elementary grades although I think that the general concept of the science night would stay the same. I have helped facilitate a STEM night at an elementary school. The school was set up into quick little hands-on activities in each classroom in which the students usually left with something to take home. For older grades, maybe focus on a topic they are currently working on and create activities based on that. Or have the students create some projects to present/somehow include the younger grades. In my current placement, I saw a fifth-grade class create rock projects to share with the second graders. Everyone was invested and had a blast. The possibilities are endless! 

Hello Stephanie! I am a current preservice teacher and I have volunteered for a few science nights in the past! My experience has mostly been with elementary grades although I think that the general concept of the science night would stay the same. I have helped facilitate a STEM night at an elementary school. The school was set up into quick little hands-on activities in each classroom in which the students usually left with something to take home. For older grades, maybe focus on a topic they are currently working on and create activities based on that. Or have the students create some projects to present/somehow include the younger grades. In my current placement, I saw a fifth-grade class create rock projects to share with the second graders. Everyone was invested and had a blast. The possibilities are endless! 

I think a Science/Math night is an absolutely wonderful idea!!! I love that it gives the children control of their education while getting parents/guardians involved during or at the end of their learning process. I really like the articles that you linked Victoria. In my Science Methods class we are heavily focusing on DE's or Discrepant Events in which to get the students interested, it would be the hope that this would encourage them to go out and perform their own experiments at home to answer life's simple question of WHY? Why does this or that happen...etc?

I think that this is so accurate that there are so many times the parents/guardians would love to instill and encourage a love for science within their children but are unaware of how to do this without spending a lot of time finding ideas. I think that offering take-away activities as you suggested would be a great way for parents/guardians to continue on with science ideas at home.

This is such a great idea. Family nights are great to encourage children and their families to share the love for science activities. It is hard to get families to continue doing activities with their children at home, so I like the idea of giving door prices like: books, seeds, and hand lenses.

I have never thought about astronomy having the most equal access, but now that you mention it - that is a great idea. Everyone has the ability to go outside and look up at the sky, and there are many topics that you can talk about in the astronomy content area. Great idea, I will have to use that sometime. This will make all students excited about learning!