Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder

"It was a deliberate choice to not include the word ‘science’ in the main title of my book. I really wanted to appeal to people who perhaps wouldn’t naturally gravitate towards anything labelled science. ‘Wondersmith’ is a great word I learned from my friend and regular partner in science communication, Jonathan Sanderson. In the book, I use it to mean someone who can generate wonder in children in both senses of the word – helping children to marvel and take awe in the natural world, but also to encourage them to ask questions. What’s going on? How does that work? What I want parents to do with the book is to become wondersmiths themselves. My belief is that if we encourage children to look closely at the world and ask the right kinds of questions, we will set them on the path towards becoming truly scientifically literate. There is some research to support this. It shows that if parents have a positive attitude towards science, it can have a positive impact on students’ attitude towards, and attainment in, science throughout their school career. We know that reading to your children is quite possibly the single best thing you can do as a parent. The educational benefits of being read to as a child are massive, regardless of socioeconomic and cultural background. My suspicion is that if, in addition to reading to our children, we also do the kind of activities I’m suggesting, there will be further educational benefits. “If we encourage children to look closely at the world and ask the right kinds of questions, we will set them on the path towards becoming truly scientifically literate” We live in a world with gross inequality, where the privileged few end up with the best jobs, running things. So if there is a way of reducing that inequality from childhood, as reading to children seems to do, and as exposing them to a better science education may do, then I’m all for it. I’m for anything we can do to reduce inequality in society. You might think, ‘Who is this guy? He thinks a science activity book is going to reduce inequality?’ Well that’s it. That’s my thing. I’m sure lots of the people who are going to buy my book are nice middle class people who would have bought some sort of science activity book or other. But in the couple of months that it’s been out, I know this book is falling into the hands of people who would not otherwise have bought it or perhaps any book. I know that for a fact. That’s really exciting."