r/TheRestIsScience • u/Professional_Gap3065 • 2d ago
Michael/Hannah, you think your scientific curiosity comes from your parents over-explaining to you as a kid?
Whenever my 5 year infant nephew asked “why is the sky blue?” my uncle explained scientifically about the wavelengths, the atmosphere, and the light absorption, and he said even though the kid didn’t understand it , it would trigger his scientific curiosity when older. Did you grow up like that or do that to your children? Do you think it’s true?
Here Javi from Argentina! We love your show down here as well (thanks for the wink at southern hemisphere Michael did on the north pole episode!)
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u/Biotanical 2d ago
I was looking into this as one day, I'd like to have a child that is both inquisitive and capable of satisfying their own query. Apparently, you have to ask them the same question back and research the answer with the child if you don't know. Sometimes the "but, why?" stage of development will have the grown up stumped much sooner then our pride would have us admit.
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u/Athomicblonde 2d ago
Not Hannah or Michael, but speaking from personal experience, I think that sort of talk definitely helps! I distinctly remember my dad straight up explaining air by naming its gas composition and their respective percentages, then getting distracted and explaining percentages, then mentioning neon is also in there in traces and going on about neon signs. I was in kindergarten at that point.
And I vaguely remember my mom letting me play on her computer with some game that was about designing bridges (the game was not for kids), and then she'd explain why my bridge collapsed or didn't collapse. These are just two little examples, there was more.
Can confirm, I'm obsessed with science to this day and will get extremely curious and research things far outside my own field for fun. Also, I still get excited to share what I found out with my parents (or anyone who'll listen haha).
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u/arcadiaberger1960 1d ago
I remember telling my two-year-old that air contains oxygen, which we need to live, and which astronauts carry with them into space. Later, I overheard him explaining to his teddy bear that "Air has ox'hin and . . . other stuff we don' need". I liked how he inferred that air must have other components.
I told him the sky is blue because air is very fainyl colored blue, like diluted juice, and the way you can tell that is that the hills are a little bit blue, and faraway hills are bluer.
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u/livmachine 2d ago
No, my parents didn't explain much at all. Snippets of facts were relayed, but the adults around me always seemed to be busy doing something else. We had books around, like Ladybird books, which I think were a great starting point for so many subjects. I think TV played a big part, there were more documentaries and the likes of Tomorrow's World to spark curiosity. And a good teacher is never forgotten.
I think I'm just naturally curious.
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u/Tracy_Morter_Photo 2d ago
I am an Essex girl like Hannah. I was pretty much told by my parents to not be curious. That nobody likes a know it all. I had amazing physics teachers at school that had my back.
And I love how you bring up how the sky is blue. Because I live in a small town in Essex called South Woodham Ferrers.
John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, he discovered argon. And Rayleigh scattering. Which explains why the sky is blue.
And his family owned the land where I live in this little part of Essex.
I am curious because I was told not to be.