By Elle Parker
Photos by Kimberlee Miller
Let’s face it – in this world, there’s so much to learn about: dinosaurs, space, electricity, the human body…but these topics can be incredibly complex. As a child, they are even more difficult to grasp, and many schools lack the ability and drive to make science intriguing and interactive. Fortunately, Beakerz Science is a new Boise business ready to teach children ages 3-8 what it truly means to learn science in a hands-on way! Through in-class studies and interactive activities/experiments, Beakerz gives elementary students the opportunity to engage in an exciting learning environment with licensed teachers who are passionate about science.
Rebecca Fisher is the brain behind Beakerz. After teaching for 18 years, she moved to Idaho and quickly recognized a lack of scientific integration in pre-primary education, which ultimately leads to a deficit in scientific professionals later on. In response, she created Beakerz in August 2018 and has been focusing on growing the business and adding team members ever since.
Currently, she is one of four instructors who participate in teaching in a variety of preschools, daycares, and Montessori schools around the Treasure Valley. Each teaching session is 30-40 minutes of hands-on science experiments for students, and intends to “build their love of science and exploration.” They even give each student a lab coat and goggles so they’ll be able to see themselves as real scientists! According to Fisher, their heart and mission is centered around science, as they believe science helps improve literary and math skills in students as they learn to sort items and improve their critical thinking skills.
With 35 lessons and counting, the team covers a large range of topics that students are truly interested in. They also tailor each program to meet each school’s needs and requirements to make the process as seamless as possible. Their hope for the future is for local pre-schools to adopt Beakerz curriculum to make science a priority early on in these students’ educational careers. To prepare for this, the team has already created a science kit that provides enough learning materials for a class of 20 students.
Fisher also stated that she would love to bring more teachers into the business and teach them how to cover the lessons in the best way possible. “I believe collaboration is the best way to get things done,” she said. In the more distant future, Fisher would love to have a Beakerz facility where kids can come and explore science for themselves as well.
For the past few months, reaching more of the community has been a top priority for Beakerz. In order to do this, the team has started producing monthly subscription boxes that come with four exciting experiments in each one! But don’t worry, Fisher guides you and/or your child through each experiment with her online demonstration videos. Whether your child is a science fanatic or you’re a parent looking for a unique, fun way to spend time with your kids at home, Beakerz boxes are the perfect gift!
The Beakerz team is thrilled to announce their summer camp that will be debuting this June 17-21 and July 15-19. Each camp week is Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., and will feature guests from different scientific fields so campers can see what life as a scientist is really like.
For more information, or to sign up for a summer camp, visit www.beakerzscience.com.
