The journalist of KSHB 41, Olivia Acree, covers parts of the County of Johnson, Kansas. Share your story with Olivia.
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An Olathe woman and her mother want to broadcast the message that science can be fun.
For many people, science can feel like a different language.
“There is certainly an anxiety around him,” said Michelle Mirakian, illustrator.
However, for this mother-daughter duo, everything is fun and games.
“Physics, for her, is the game,” said Mirakian.
Martha Wiley is a retired teacher who now writes children’s books on physics. His daughter, Mirakian, illustrates them.
The mother-daughter duo makes science fun with the series of books “Kids on the Move”
“When I was looking for physical sciences, what I found was mainly books that looked like encyclopedia entries,” said Wiley.
Wiley had a different idea of how to make concepts stick.
“When it’s real for them, it makes sense,” she said.
The series of books “Kids on the Move” explains science through stories. Each story, there is experience for children to try.
“That’s all you should find in the house,” said Mirakian.
The duo believes that books are a way to see science outside the class.
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“We put science in a box, then we are going to put away science,” said Mirakian. “She wanted people to know that science is all around you.”
THE 2024 Kansas report noted that more than 65% of students had skills in limited or fundamental sciences.
Mirakian and Wiley hope that parents and teachers use “children in motion” as a resource to change this.
“The theme through stories is not only power, it is comfort,” said Wiley. “The more children know their world, the better they feel to manage it.”
The classrooms of the birthplace of Wiley’s Iowa have “Kids on the Move” books on their shelves. The mother and the girl would like to reach more classrooms and households in Kansas City.
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