Q: Our elementary school launched a science fair and I couldn't convince my third-grade son or fourth-grade daughter to enter. I want them to like science. Are science fairs old-fashioned?

A: Definitely not! Science fairs have increased, thanks to a national emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), but not all elementary schools are on board.

Many elementary teachers, charged with heavy reading and math teaching requirements, skimp on science. The U.S. Department of Education says that elementary students receive, on average, only 2.3 hours of science instruction per week, compared to three hours 20 years ago.

Want your kids to love science? Parents have to sow the seeds, and now's the time, says Bill Nye, television's "Science Guy."

"I can tell you as a guy who worked on airplanes, ships, oil wells, airborne electronics and even ballet shoes -- everyone who works on those things for a living got excited about science before he or she was 10 years old," he says.

Here's how to sow those science seeds:

-- Make informal science a priority. Kids who excel in science have parents who stimulate interest in exploration. They visit science institutions such as parks, aquariums, science centers and natural-history museums.

"They use the language and skills of science," says Nancy Bourne, an award-winning teacher at Beacon Cove Intermediate School in Jupiter, Fla. "Curiosity -- asking questions -- is at the heart of science. Every day there are hundreds of things to observe, inquire and make hypotheses about. Pick one and model scientific thinking: 'Let's observe these interesting clouds! Are they darker than those we saw yesterday? What direction are they coming from? What weather will they bring?'

"When you observe differences, record observations, make hypotheses and identify patterns, you help develop science skills."

-- Add a big dose of science to your media diet. "Subscribe to kids' science magazines and websites, and download science apps," says Bourne. "Ditch junk TV and choose instead the great science programming on TV and online, such as National Geographic, Discovery Channel and Bill Nye's 'Consider the Following' (billnye.com). Track progress of the Mars Rover, for example.

"For thrills, you can't beat Discovery Channel's groundbreaking footage of a giant squid, 'Monster Squid: The Giant Is Real,' airing this month. Follow up with the book 'Here There Be Monsters: The Legendary Kraken and the Giant Squid' (Houghton Mifflin, 2010) that weaves scientific discovery with historical accounts."

-- Incorporate science into family reading time. "There are hundreds of compelling science books," says science educator Sandra Markle, whose latest book, "Snow School" (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2013), shows how a mother snow leopard teaches her cubs to survive in their harsh home.

Books like these are fun to read aloud, and can be followed up with family activities, like those suggested on Markle's "Write On!" blog (sandra-markle.blogspot.com). Each year, the National Science Teachers Association publishes the year's best science books for young people. Go to nsta.org/publications.

-- Advocate for STEM excellence. Check out Change the Equation, a nonpartisan effort to promote STEM literacy. Find effective programs to improve STEM teaching at changetheequation.org.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: I heard on NPR that kids who develop large vocabularies early on have huge advantages all through school. We read with our first- and second-graders every night. Should we do word lists with them, too?

A: Keep reading, but nix the lists. It's important for young learners to build strong vocabularies; research shows that the more word power they have, the better readers and writers they become. But research also suggests that memorizing definitions isn't very effective because kids forget them when the words are introduced without any context for their use.

"Learning anything, including new words, involves connecting new information with what you already know," says Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D., a Kent State University professor of literacy education. "There's a fun way to learn new words. I call it 'word-harvesting.'"

Word-harvesting highlights the words found in children's books and magazines as well as poetry and song lyrics and makes them more visible to kids.

"Here's how it works: Before reading each night, ask your children to listen for interesting words. When you've finished a passage, ask if any words intrigue them," says Rasinski.

For example, say you're reading William Steig's "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" (Aladdin, 1987): "Sylvester Duncan lived with his mother and father at Acorn Road in Oatsdale. One of his hobbies was collecting pebbles of unusual shape and color. On a rainy Saturday during vacation he found a quite extraordinary one. It was flaming red, shiny, and perfectly round, like a marble. As he was studying this remarkable pebble, he began to shiver, probably from excitement, and the rain felt cold on his back. 'I wish it would stop raining,' he said. To his great surprise, the rain stopped. It didn't stop gradually as rains usually do. It ceased!"

"This 95-word excerpt is a treasure trove: pebbles, extraordinary, remarkable, flaming, gradually, shiver, ceased." says Rasinski. "Harvest these words on a family word wall or in a paper or digital notebook that kids can refer to."

Poems and songs can yield a great crop of words, too, says Rasinski. "I often sing '(You're a) Grand Old Flag' when word-harvesting with primary students. We collect high-flying, grand, acquaintance, boast, brag, brave, peace, and emblem -- great words for young writers to use."

As you go, elaborate on the meanings of the chosen words and offer synonyms, Rasinski advises.

"Often, it's helpful to reread the passage," he says. "Once you've harvested the words, use them in sentences and conversation in the following days. Share the words with grandparents so that they can use them with your kids. Post them on the family Facebook page."

Many experts think primary-age students should master 3,000 new words each year. When you word-harvest, they add up quickly, notes Rasinski, author of the series "Building Vocabulary From Word Roots" (Teacher Created Materials).

"If you harvest 10 words a night, five nights a week, your children will have acquired 2,600 words just in your nightly reading," he says. "And the family's had great fun in the process!"

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our son is headed to college. While he got into his match school, we haven't heard from his first choice school yet, which is also the most expensive. We need a financial aid package. Should we wait until we hear from them all to apply for aid?

A: Don't wait until he's accepted to apply for aid. At a minimum, you'll need to file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form from the U.S. Department of Education (fafsa.ed.gov). The FAFSA form for the 2013-14 school year went online Jan. 1.

"The FAFSA is used to apply for federal student financial aid, such as the Pell Grant, student loans and college work-study jobs," says Kalman Chany, a financial adviser who has helped families obtain college financial aid for nearly 30 years. "Most schools and state agencies use FAFSA information to award aid. Some schools and states require additional forms.

"Be sure to file all required documents by their respective priority deadlines (set by the school or state agency) to ensure maximum consideration for funds."

Chany, author of "Paying for College Without Going Broke" (The Princeton Review Inc., 2013 edition), offers more tips:

-- Assume your child is eligible for aid. Don't rule out a college because you think it's too expensive. The higher the cost, the more aid you may receive.

-- Research the forms you'll need and due dates. "The process can be overwhelming," notes Chany. "Many colleges have different deadlines for different aid forms. Chart each school's and your state's aid application requirements so you don't miss any deadlines. While most are due in February and March, some are due in January.

"Check to see if any of the schools require the College Board's 2013-14 CSS PROFILE or other forms besides the FAFSA."

-- Figure out your "expected family contribution." Before you apply for aid, use the worksheets in financial aid guidebooks to calculate what the college will estimate you can afford to pay.

"Make sure you have the most up-to-date information, as rules and formulas change every year," Chany cautions.

-- Maximize your child's eligibility. Consider making appropriate adjustments to your assets, debts and retirement provisions before you submit the FAFSA.

For those with high school juniors and younger: Freshman year need-based aid awards for college are set in part on income for the tax year ending Dec. 31 of the student's senior year of high school.

-- Do your 2012 tax forms early. To meet early aid application deadlines, you may need to estimate your 2012 tax return data.

-- Practice and proofread! "Many parents make costly mistakes in aid applications and fail to get the aid they're eligible to receive because they don't understand how their responses impact aid eligibility," says Chany. "The forms are complex and take time. Do a practice run on paper before you submit anything online. Double-check everything. Do you have forms for the correct academic year you are seeking aid? Have you answered all the required questions? Did you sign and date them? Keep copies!"

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)