How young is too young to talk to kids about science? Never, says one quantum physicist – ABC Local

Posted July 06, 2017 17:20:11

At what age should your kids start learning about science?

For Dr Chris Ferrie, a senior lecturer in quantum physics at the University of Technology, Sydney, no child is too young.

Dr Ferrie bills himself as a scientist by day and father by night, who occasionally moonlights as a children's book author.

He has written multiple children's books on subjects ranging from relativity to rocket science after noticing there were not many science books for kids in bookstores.

In 2015, Dr Ferrie reached internet fame when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was pictured reading one of his books, Quantum Physics for Babies, to his young daughter.

With his new book, Goodnight Lab a playful rewriting of children's classic Goodnight Moon he hopes to spark an early interest in science and technology.

"The point of books is to make sure that that variety is out there so that every possible topic that someone might be interested in is represented," Dr Ferrie said.

The father of four does not accept that big words like voltmeter and liquid nitrogen should be banished from books for children.

"I doubt any of them are ever going to see an elephant and that has many syllables, yet they all seem to know what an elephant is and what it sounds like and what it does.

"They'll certainly see scientific instruments. Many of them will miniaturised and inside of a phone, but they're there."

Despite all the attention, Dr Ferrie cannot see himself giving away his career as a researcher any time soon.

"I enjoy my research, it's my real passion. If I was employed as a book author, I think I would stop writing books," he said.

"I do it because it's sort of a hobby and if it became my livelihood, then it wouldn't be as exciting as it is now."

Sunita Oberholzer and her three young boys are fans of Dr Ferrie's work.

"The youngest really loves maths and they love science," Ms Oberholzer said.

"We went to Questacon in Canberra, which they didn't want to leave they could have spent the whole day there.

"They definitely enjoy it even if they don't know it's science that they're looking at."

Ms Oberholzer said she cannot see any reason why children should not be exposed to scientific concepts from a young age.

"I mean, you talk about whether things are heavy or light, or things floating in the bath," she said.

"Uou can do that when they're babies really."

Even if children do not quite understand the science, many like 10-year-old Finn Warner simply enjoy engaging in it.

"Goodnight liquid nitrogen, goodnight compressed air, goodnight scientists everywhere," he said, reading from the book.

"I don't know all of [the words], I don't know what spectrometer means. It's quite funny."

Topics: science, children, science-and-technology, human-interest, sydney-2000, australia

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How young is too young to talk to kids about science? Never, says one quantum physicist - ABC Local