Science and inventing ideas

[AnonyMouse_26037]

Hello all, I'm looking for ideas and inspiration and possible stockists...

 

My niece is 4 1/2 and very interested in all things around her - recent questions have included 'Why do my knees go up and down but the wheels go round and round?' (when riding her bike) and 'What is the sun made of?' So...

 

My sister asked if I knew of a child friendly website they could use to help explain things in a way she (my niece!) could understand.

 

The other thing is that she wants to be an inventor when she grows up and I was thinking of giving her an inventing kit for Christmas. I'm looking for ideas to include in it. My first thoughts include some things like plastic tubing, foil etc that she could use to build things with and I'm also thinking of some child sized goggles, an inventing apron (with lots of pockets!) and maybe some squared paper, a proper tape measure etc.

Any other ideas for this or suggestions of where I might get single bits from?

[AnonyMouse_19920]

a book liked by children at our setting is "why is the sky blue?" - it is the questions children ask that you are not really sure how to answer.

 

also I can teach my child website is quite good

Edited November 19, 2016 by blondie

[AnonyMouse_19782]

http://www.scrapstoresuk.org/index.php?option=com_geocode_factory&view=markerset&idMarkerset=1&Itemid=14

 

We used to have scrap stores in Norwich where I lived many years ago and I believe there was one here in Kent a while back - they were very useful for odd things for the children to use - firms used to donate stuff to the stores so you could find quite strange things in there! You might have one near you where you could pick up a few bits, or on freecycle sites.

 

Does she have a dedicated "workshop" area at home, or somewhere they could make it a workshop, our lads used to have a corner of the garage at one time. My eldest who was always inventor minded shall we say, is now 24 and contemplating giving up the day job because he would really love now to recycle, upcycle and sell things he has made. Looks like the corner of the garage could be back in use!

[AnonyMouse_26037]

Thanks for that you two. I remember the Why is the sky blue? book - it was a booktime book a few years ago. Think she'd love that one. Panders - I looked and there are two scrapstores fairly near me! She gets to use space in the garage when the urge to invent takes her. I have a gorgeous couple of pictures from the summer of her in the garage inventing with cardboard tubes and rocket and her big brother in the garden looking after the pigeon chick they rescued.