St. Pius X Spring 2013

This experience showed me that children really do care about our planet. I was surprised to be asked questions such as "what do we do to save our beach?". This made me feel like I had made a difference during this quick lesson at family science night and I began wondering how much of a difference I could make in a classroom with much more time to teach about our planet and how humans affect it.

The biggest thing I will remember is how much of a caring concern that the students had for the marine life and the fact they they actually seemed interested in helping.

I think this is a great event for students to be part of.

Participating in Family Science Night has allowed me to see that science is not scary.

The biggest benefit was that I got to go to a real public school and teach kids. Being homeschooled my whole life, I appreciate going to a public school and seeing school from a different perspective.

This experience made me more aware of making good decisions with food as well as opened my eyes to how much sugar I am consuming daily and the health consequences that can come with it.

I see the importance of what science brings to our students, and as a teacher it will be my duty that my students learn the same, and how science connects to our surroundings and our community.

Seashore Middle School Academy Spring 2013

The students get involved in learning, light bulbs are going off, future careers are being contemplated, parents are having fun learning with their children, and the community is getting involved in the schools. I am so glad I have this opportunity to practice family science nights where I can bring this awesome asset to my future school!

TheFamily Science Night became a Family Science Fest!! There were nachos, hot dogs, and a raffle for some pretty neat prizes!!

THe fun part about Family Science Night at Seashore Middle Academy was the competitive energy the children and parents brought. While competing in different exercieses the students showed great energy and were eager to challenge their peers and parents.

The one main thing I will remember from this event was that science can be fun and easy to teach. It doesn't have to be all text book and charts and graphs. It can be all hands on to keep the minds on of the students and be able to learn in a fun way so it can be learned and remembered longer.

I was excited about working with students and working wiht families and helping them to learn information.

I definitely have a better respect for science and science teachers now because I see that is is possible to mix science with fun.

I am so happy we went to Seashore Middle Academy. I really enjoyed each and every student and parents that came up to our presentation board and we got to teach them.You can tell this is a good school to be part of and I hope I am lucky one day to be part of a school like this when I am a teacher!

Kaffee Middle School Spring 2013

As I looked around Kaffee cafeteria at all my peers in front of their own projects - not one of them was in a lab coat. And although a few had glasses, they weren't the thick old-fashioned bi-focals that our grandparents wear. We are all scientists and it doesn't matter how we dress or look.

It is one thing to talk about pedagogy within a college classroom, but it is a whole other thing when you are actually teaching in front of students and parents. I love that Family Science Night gives me that opportunity and another experience of actually teaching.

The reason why I would like to be involved with something like this again is because not only was this a great experience, but it was also a reassurance that I still want to pursue a degree in education.

Doing true science allows the students to be scientists and find their own answers to their own questions.

Spending the little free time I had on this project was defintiely worth it because it really did change my whole entire attitude towards teaching science and science in general.

The one main thing I will remember from this event would be that there are TONS of different ways to represent science and get children intriqued by it.

FAMILY SCIENCE FALL 2012!!

This semester we went to three venues - Ella Barnes Elementary School, Webb Elementary School and Gregory-Portland Intermediate. This is what students had to say about the experience:

"I think it is wonderful when students are so excited about learning, and even more so when that learning has to do with science or math. Thee are the subjects that students and some teachers try to stay away from. It is a huge concern in our country that we get more students excited about these neglected subjects. I have learned so much about myself from this experience as well."

"Science night made me realize that in order for students to understand a certain concept of science that you are trying to teach, they must be able to relate it to themselves."

"I honestly loved interacting with so many students and parents because each and everyone of them had something special that they brought to the table. It was fun to watch the parents enjoy their children."

"Getting practice interacting with parents is also a huge benefit that will help us all as future teachers."

"I actually got to teach a science lesson to elementary students in a non-threatening environment. The costs were definitely worth the benefits  because it is an experience that I feel is necessary to understand the dynamics between the schools and their faculty, students, and parents."

"Parents were really involved and thankful for the information we gave them. Those parents really inspired me to be a teacher, because I know that I will influence not only the students, but the parents as well."

"I don't think (family science) really changed any ideas I had about science teachers in particular, but it was an eye opener when it came to how I was going to adapt my little 'speech' to a 5 year old who couldn't care less about the health risks of sugar and just loved chocolate milk."

"The experience changed my perspective of science teaching because it wasn't about cycles or doing labs, more more about being healthy. Health is important in everyone's life, expecially young children who are growing and trying to figure out how their bodies work."

"Fun is a keyword when teaching young students. The fun that the project is the more the students will remember because they enjoyed it."


"As long as I can remember, I hated science with a passion. Every science class I had to take in middle school leading up to college was horrible. Every class I had had us mainly learning from a textbook. From these experiences, I learned that science doesn't have  to be taught in that manner. If a science lesson could be turned into a situation relating to real life, the information would be retained for a longer period of time. If science teaching consisted of having all lessons have some kinds of "hands- on" activity after each lesson, the n students would never be afraid of science."

"These three presentations we did further cemented my desire to become a professional educator, to be able to educate young children and to make a difference with a smile :)  ."

"I know that now I am a step closer to become the really amazing teacher that I want to be."

London ISD Summer II 2012!

"Science is a subject that I have always enjoyed, but been a little apprehensive about teaching. I always fear that I will not teach something correctly, won't teach it enough, or that students will ask me questions that I don't know the answer to. Family Science Night showed me that it is perfectly acceptable to not know all of the answers and that teaching science can really be fun."

"The advice I would give to future science teachers is to please, please, please make their activities engaging and interactive; something the students will go home remembering. The idea may take a while to come up with, but it will be worth it."

"The main thing I learned from this event is that is so incredibly important to provide students the opportunity to learn with their parents and to participate in fun, risk-free learning activities."

"I liked Family Science Night a great deal because it allowed our group to address a sensitive topic (hyperactivity) in a fun and friendly manner."

"This event was not only fun for the family and community but me too!"

"This sounds crazy but kids intimidate me a bit like they know I'm not a real teacher but I was surprised and very pleased a how quickly I found my confidence."

"As Einstein said, "You really do not understand something unless you can explain it to your Grandmother." I felt we must understand our topic well, because we explained it - successfully - to many Grandmothers, four year olds, Dads, Aunts, and Moms."

"In all honesty, I initially thought that the subject of Science and Nutrition was going to be boring, but as we formed our idea and then saw the reaction of those around us, I immediately changed my mind. Turning what could be a potentially boring topic into something fun and hands-on was an experience that I will never forget."

"What I originally thought would be a hassle and a waste of my time was actually fun and beneficial for me and my future career. I can take it with me wherever I go, an awareness of how these family nights work as well as all the benefits for all that are involved."

"I found that you can incorporate science into many different areas. It was easier than I thought because science is all around us."

"It was interesting to see how we had to remain flexible and adjust to the students' level of curiosity and demeanor....The main thing I will remember from participating in this event is how important is to remain flexible and have the materials necessary to be flexible for all the students as they each learn differently."

"It was a wonderful way for me to try out my teacher voice and practice interacting with families....I had a blast!"

Flour Bluff Junior High Spring 2012

"What I truly appreciate about the opportunity provided to me by teaching Family Science Night is the belief I've gained that extra-curricular, organized instruction might allow for better learning opportunities and increased absorption of information by the kids involved. While it tends to be a struggle to engage children in this age range with anything they might perceive as extra work, I do believe its is important  to try and the looks of pure, unadulterated interest that I have viewed throughout the course of this assignment have led me to believe that it is quite possible to be successful."

"One thing I love about these Family Science Nights is that we are all doing the same thing, working towards our future goals of being educators and that we are all going through the same thing. I also like how each and every one of us is helpful to one another. This make the transition so much smoother and rewarding!"

"This last event proved how much I actually knew about this topic and how much more confident I had become."

"I used to think that being involved with parents was as simple as sending something home with the child and hoping that the parent received it or having a parent teacher conference and calling the parent once a month. Clearly I was wrong, there are so many different way to be involved and family science nights are one of them."

"I felt that I have grown a lot this semester, because before I came into this class I did not know anything about science. I now feel way more comfortable presenting scientific information to my students and having a positive attitude about it. I am also more comfortable in presenting information to the parents as well."

"Now I remember the honor roll assemblies and the attendance assemblies that my parents attended but even then they didn't come into contact with my teacher and I do not want to be the teacher who doesn't talk to parents."

"I remember in the beginning being very nervous  and thinking to myself that i would probably stumble over my words and sound like I don't know what I'm talking about but actually going through the experience I found that it all came naturally."

"Through this experience I have developed more useful skills that I will use when teaching students and helping them grow cognitively, emotionally and physically."

"I have become increasingly more confident in my science teaching abilities!"

"At the beginning of the semester, inquiry-based science was new to me. I realize now how important it is in the classroom or even at a science event to help the student to get his or her own understanding of the content as they play an active role in the learning process."

Ella Barnes Elementary Spring 2012

"This event was a dream come true because not only was there more parental participation but also the children were eager to learn science. Family Science Night at Barnes Elementary was the best event ever....The students became effective thinkers and the world of science started making sense!"

"I was glad we got be be around a lot of parents because it gave me the confidence I needed to believe I knew what I was doing." 


"I learned from our own research and the other groups' projects that we need to pay more attention to what we eat and act in our daily lives to keep being healthy and happy."


"We really got to show and explain our research and show that we really worked hard which felt rewarding."


"I realized that elementary students know a whole lot more than I thought."


"Its pretty amazing to see kids so young so interested in something like medicine. She says she is planning to go to medical school."


"Its always fun to see what kind of personalities the students have. It makes me so excited to be able to work with the age group one day."


"The reward  of seeing and being a part of a student's breakthrough when understanding a new concept of working through data is an experience that words cannot describe."


"Its funny because every time I eat something now I always think about my poster and I think about, "Am I making the healthier choice or not?".