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She Loves Science: A Mother's Guide to Nurturing the Curiosity, Confidence, and Creativity of Her Daughter
Moms, do you want your daughter to say she loves science? This book is your guide that will get you excited to share science with her. It is not your ordinary science book because it will get you thinking, laughing, and pulling out your baking soda and vinegar just for the fun it. This book is here to cheer you on while you try science with your daughter. You will learn how to feed her curiosity by seeking out experiments that will interest her. It gives you tips on how to nurture her confidence and creativity so she will become that future problem solver our world needs! This book also tells my story of being a female chasing after a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). She Loves Science will encourage you to start today to make a big difference in her life and in our world.
108 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 18, 2021
Hmm, well, that was a quick read. Perhaps I expected something very different? My oldest daughter (5) is very into science, so I was hopeful for some experiment ideas or tips on how to nurture that going forward, as well as perhaps curriculum ideas, internet resources, or oganizational tips on how to incorporate more science into daily life.
Instead, this was pretty much a hundred pages of the author's personal stories and talking about how less women get into and stick with science. A chapter or two of that would have been fine (e.g. author's personal interest, the need for such a book, etc.) but it never moved on from there. There were a *lot* of links, sort of a "check out further content here!" when it felt like those areas should have been part of the book itself. It felt like she was taking a lot of space to tell me why she should be an expert on the topic that could have been spent *showing* me why she was an expert on the topic.
I didn't feel like I related with the author much, either, which probably didn't help. I loved science growing up and was never told or hinted I shouldn't, or that boys were better at it, etc. The only time there was a "boys vs. girls" issue was in 6th grade, when another girl and I were forced to represent English and Social studies at an inter-school competition, even though we were the top two in science/math. But that turned out to be because we were also the top in English/S.S. and there was no one in the class even close. In fact, I was regularly encouraged to pursue science *because* I was a girl, something that eventually freaked me out and backfired as it felt like teachers were putting too much pressure on me.
There were only about 5 experiments detailed in the book, elementary level stuff, and they didn't all have detailed explanations or set up instructions - a couple just linked to learn more, like the microwaved marshmallow one. These are the sorts of experiment one can quickly find on Pinterest or browsing the internet - make tie dye with alcohol markers, play with food coloring in a bowl of milk, and the like. I actually would have loved more things like this - but because there were only the few, it sort of felt like an afterthought.
I did like the idea of making a "science kit" out of household items, unfortunately that section was not detailed very well. It gave a few ideas of items to include, but it would have been far more valuable had there been a chapter or two detailing all the experiments that could be done with those household items, or ways to actually set it up.
Another thing I would have liked to see, but it was barely touched on, was the problem of why women do not continue in science. She made a brief comment that it is mainly because women want to start having kids about the time their careers take off, which is one large part of it, but then dismissed it by saying many companies make accomodations for that now. OK, some do, but how do I go about talking to my daughter in the future about her priorities, or how to find work/life balance, if a company doesn't? From many women I've talked to who used to be in science, but now aren't, the main problem wasn't time for family but the social isolation when doing lab work. I.e. it wasn't as relational of a field as they would have liked. This wasn't touched on in the book.
If you, like the author, grew up in an environment where you felt girls were pushed away from science, or have a daughter that just isn't into science, this might be a good quick read for some ideas on how to push conversations and play towards observation, curiosity, and experimentation. But if you have a daughter that already loves science, and are looking for more advanced ideas and content on how to nurture that, this book is unlikely to help.
Instead, this was pretty much a hundred pages of the author's personal stories and talking about how less women get into and stick with science. A chapter or two of that would have been fine (e.g. author's personal interest, the need for such a book, etc.) but it never moved on from there. There were a *lot* of links, sort of a "check out further content here!" when it felt like those areas should have been part of the book itself. It felt like she was taking a lot of space to tell me why she should be an expert on the topic that could have been spent *showing* me why she was an expert on the topic.
I didn't feel like I related with the author much, either, which probably didn't help. I loved science growing up and was never told or hinted I shouldn't, or that boys were better at it, etc. The only time there was a "boys vs. girls" issue was in 6th grade, when another girl and I were forced to represent English and Social studies at an inter-school competition, even though we were the top two in science/math. But that turned out to be because we were also the top in English/S.S. and there was no one in the class even close. In fact, I was regularly encouraged to pursue science *because* I was a girl, something that eventually freaked me out and backfired as it felt like teachers were putting too much pressure on me.
There were only about 5 experiments detailed in the book, elementary level stuff, and they didn't all have detailed explanations or set up instructions - a couple just linked to learn more, like the microwaved marshmallow one. These are the sorts of experiment one can quickly find on Pinterest or browsing the internet - make tie dye with alcohol markers, play with food coloring in a bowl of milk, and the like. I actually would have loved more things like this - but because there were only the few, it sort of felt like an afterthought.
I did like the idea of making a "science kit" out of household items, unfortunately that section was not detailed very well. It gave a few ideas of items to include, but it would have been far more valuable had there been a chapter or two detailing all the experiments that could be done with those household items, or ways to actually set it up.
Another thing I would have liked to see, but it was barely touched on, was the problem of why women do not continue in science. She made a brief comment that it is mainly because women want to start having kids about the time their careers take off, which is one large part of it, but then dismissed it by saying many companies make accomodations for that now. OK, some do, but how do I go about talking to my daughter in the future about her priorities, or how to find work/life balance, if a company doesn't? From many women I've talked to who used to be in science, but now aren't, the main problem wasn't time for family but the social isolation when doing lab work. I.e. it wasn't as relational of a field as they would have liked. This wasn't touched on in the book.
If you, like the author, grew up in an environment where you felt girls were pushed away from science, or have a daughter that just isn't into science, this might be a good quick read for some ideas on how to push conversations and play towards observation, curiosity, and experimentation. But if you have a daughter that already loves science, and are looking for more advanced ideas and content on how to nurture that, this book is unlikely to help.
August 29, 2020
This book gives good advice and encouragement for girls interested in science. It has easy instructions for at-home experiments, an overview of different types of engineers, and career tips.
The author is an engineer and was inspired by her daughter to write this book: "My daughter's questions became a challenge for me to think back on memories of my childhood and think of how to explain things in a child's terms" (kindle p.12).
She speaks of her career: "I've worked on many teams in the oil and gas industry. One of my first assignments was to develop a tool that could see tiny cracks in a pipeline 5,000 feet underwater" (kindle p. 81).
This is an enjoyable read and a good reference book. Although, written for mothers to their daughters, it would also benefit teachers and anyone else interested in the subject.
The author is an engineer and was inspired by her daughter to write this book: "My daughter's questions became a challenge for me to think back on memories of my childhood and think of how to explain things in a child's terms" (kindle p.12).
She speaks of her career: "I've worked on many teams in the oil and gas industry. One of my first assignments was to develop a tool that could see tiny cracks in a pipeline 5,000 feet underwater" (kindle p. 81).
This is an enjoyable read and a good reference book. Although, written for mothers to their daughters, it would also benefit teachers and anyone else interested in the subject.
November 25, 2018
Science is the word we use to describe organized curiosity.
LOVE! This well-written book organizes how to show AND tell our girls about science. Most of the first part of the book is around how to look for opportunities to explain science to our young kids every day. The back half of the book explains what engineers do and where you can find them. Unless you have an engineer in your family, this info might be hard to come by. I see the author has fiction books for kids, too. I am looking forward to introducing my girls to her science-loving heroine.
LOVE! This well-written book organizes how to show AND tell our girls about science. Most of the first part of the book is around how to look for opportunities to explain science to our young kids every day. The back half of the book explains what engineers do and where you can find them. Unless you have an engineer in your family, this info might be hard to come by. I see the author has fiction books for kids, too. I am looking forward to introducing my girls to her science-loving heroine.
September 10, 2020
As a fellow science-educated woman with daughters, I really wanted to love this book. However, it read like a long-form peppy blog post. I appreciate the author’s enthusiasm and efforts in writing, but I did not get much out of reading the book—aside from noticing a typo on page 76. “SpaceEx” should be “SpaceX”. 👩🏼🔬🚀🧪
November 1, 2018
She can
I love this book. I love how it brings everyday life into science and breaks down the mind barriers. It has many references and resources to discover. I love the experiment choices thrown in.
I love this book. I love how it brings everyday life into science and breaks down the mind barriers. It has many references and resources to discover. I love the experiment choices thrown in.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews