Physics For Toddlers . News | OPB – OPB News

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When Kelly Barrales-Saylor was a new mom, she got lots of childrens books aspresents.

Most were simple books about shapes, colors,letters.

I realized there wasnt really any science available nothing about math, nothing about science, she said. And my editorial brain lit up and said there must be a need forthis.

Barrales-Saylor is an editor at Sourcebooks. She did some research and found Chris Ferrie, who had self-published some math and science books for kids online. Ferrie, a physicist and mathematician at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, first created the books for his ownchildren.

When reading to his kids, Ferrie noticed that most books used animals to introduce new words. In todays world, that just didnt make sense tohim.

Were not surrounded by animals anymore, Ferrie said. Were surrounded bytechnology.

Barrales-Saylor worked with Ferrie to design a series of books aimed at toddlers and babies. What they came up with were sturdy, board books with bright colors and simple shapes introducing subjects like Rocket Science, Quantum Physics and GeneralRelativity.

Jeff Winokur, an early education and elementary science instructor at Wheelock College, argues books like these ought to go hand-in-hand with real-worldexperience.

I learned to dislike science by reading about it, using textbooks where I had no way in, Winokur said. Its important to give kids physical experiences and a chance to talk aboutthem.

When theyre little, that could mean doing experiments or asking questions like What happens when I roll this ball down ahill?

Amber Faust of Tennessee is doing justthat.

She reads the Baby University series with her sons, Oliver, 2, and Milo, 1. Then, they act itout.

We make funny noises and run through the house, Faust said. The two-year-old is a crazy active baby, so anything we read we have to actout.

Kristy vanMarle has been researching childrens intuitive physics at the University ofMissouri.

Infants come into the world equipped with expectations that accord very closely to what we consider Newtonian physics, she said. Of course, they cant talk about it, or explain it, but the knowledge in the form of expectations seems to be inplace.

For older children, the concepts carry greatermeaning.

Six-year-old Henry and two-and-a-half-year-old Sylvie listen to their mother, Rosie Nathanson read Ferriess Rocket Science for Babies.

This a ball. This ball is moving. Air cant go throughit.

Cause its aerodynamic, Henry said.

Henry had learned about flight in school. He was excited to hear words heunderstood.

But while Henry plunged through the books, his little sister grew restless.

I need water, Sylvie said.

At two-and-a-half, Sylvie is having a hard time grasping theconcepts.

VanMarle said, at those ages, children would do better to engage with physical objects instead of static pictures on apage.

The books are really just an introduction to scientific and mathematical words, Barrales-Saylorsaid.

We know toddlers arent going to pick up the exact high level concepts were explaining, Barrales-Saylor said. Were trying to introduce the small seeds of information meant for them to remember yearslater.

Nathanson thinks her daughter might be more interested in the books a year from now. Henry, meanwhile, gives the books a qualified endorsement.

I like it half and I didnt like it half, Henry said. The half he didnt like: its for babies.

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Physics For Toddlers . News | OPB - OPB News