Guest Post: Eileen O'Hely on Science By Osmosis

The greatest scientist of the twentieth century is, without a doubt, Albert Einstein. 

Einstein’s amazing reasoning and powers of observation brought us the photoelectric effect (key to solar panels), special relativity (E=mc²) and general relativity which describes our current understanding of gravity. 

However, my favourite observation of Einstein’s – which is pertinent to teachers not just in science, but in all fields – is his assertion that 'If you can’t explain it to a 6-year-old, then you don’t truly understand it.'

This has huge relevance to me in my line of work as a children’s writer and also in my day job as a science communicator. 

Both jobs require me to impart information to others, which is most effective if the method of delivery is engaging and entertaining.

For my most recent project I combined both skillsets and wrote a science book. Or more precisely, an astronomy book. Bursting with scientific facts. What do you think the book looks like? I’ll give you a few details to get you started. It’s 8,000 words long and full of pictures. Are you imagining something A4 size or bigger? Glossy pages? Full of the latest images from NASA (which you can use for free, btw!)?

What you’re probably not imagining are cartoon pictures of space sharks, ninja bears or an otherwise serious and self-important guy in drag getting in touch with his inner Elsa. But this is precisely what you will find in the completely factual graphic novel 50 Ways to Die in Space.

50 Ways to Die in Space teaches the reader about how a human would meet their untimely demise in the different environments in space: extreme heat, freezing cold, ridiculous pressures and everything in between. It does this in a very non-didactic way, so the reader learns by osmosis.

One thing I find particularly useful when explaining science to children is to use pop culture references. Love it or hate it, most children are familiar with Disney characters. In my planetarium shows I reference a scene from The Lion King when I talk about what a star is. This scene also makes it into the book. Maybe inspired (or triggered) by this early scene, the illustrator lent his quirkiness to a later scene set in the icy rings of Saturn, dressing one of the characters up as Elsa. Familiar characters, appearing unexpectedly – and with humour – really appeals to young audiences.

Another tactic that is useful when conveying complex content to people of all ages is to make comparisons to concepts they are already familiar with and can therefore relate to. For example, I could (and do!) say the Sun is 150 million kilometres away from Earth. This is a huge number that is hard to fathom. To make it more understandable, I say that if you were to travel to the Sun at the speed you drove to the planetarium (assuming the driver obeyed the speed limit of 60 km/h), then it would take over two thousand years to get to the Sun. With no toilet breaks.

Similar comparisons can be made with everyday objects. Sure, the Earth is three and a half times wider than the Moon, but that’s just a number ratio. A more tangible way to show this is to imagine that if the Earth is the size of a basketball, the Moon is the size of a tennis ball. And how far apart are they at this scale? About seven metres, which is roughly the width of a classroom.

Have you noticed that I’ve been posing a number of questions throughout this piece? That’s another good method of engaging kids in science (and all types of learning). Don’t just fire a volley of facts at kids. Have them think about things for themselves. Then give a little scaffolding so that they can make their own connections.

When it comes to writing, character choice has a huge influence on relatability and engagement. Children love it and engage well when they can see themselves in books, which is why it’s so fabulous that children’s books now embrace characters of different heritage, beliefs and abilities. 

In 50 Ways to Die in Space there are two characters: one large, one small. The small one represents a child: optimistic, full of questions, and also a bit cheeky. Although the child character at times appears naive and makes some incorrect assertions, this character does have agency, getting one over on the adult character on multiple occasions. The facts are disguised as arguments and the occasional slanging match between the pair, which makes them easy to quote and remember.

To finish with a quote from the beloved children’s author Roald Dahl 'Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful.' I wholeheartedly embrace this concept, and apply it beyond the world of books to the field of science communication.

Author, Eileen O'Hely is a children’s author and astrophysicist. Connect with her via her website or Instagram.