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A Framework for K-12 Science Education indicates that introducing young children to scientific and engineering practices, core disciplinary ideas, and crosscutting concepts during the early years is essential for the development of conceptual understanding in science. Unfortunately, science is infrequently included in preschool and primary classrooms, and parents are sometimes uncomfortable engaging their children in science. This article describes the development and initial evaluation of "family science activity packs" as an intervention to fill this void. The study examined four research questions focused on families' use of the packs, parental questions, children's inquiry behaviors, and the nature of parent and children's reactions to the packs. Questionnaires sent to families regarding the packs and videos of families completing the activities were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative methods. Findings suggest that take-home activity packs have the potential to teach science in a motivating manner and spur further interest in science. However, parent questioning and wait-time impacted the quality of students' responses. A discussion of how family science activities potentially result in high-quality discourse is presented, and implications and suggestions for further research and pack development are reviewed.

Promoting family learning around science represents an important opportunity to reinforce science learning during outof-school time. Evidence suggests that parent-child discourse around science can promote inferential thinking by children and help solidify their understanding of science concepts. While teacher professional development that promotes the type of discourse that encourages student inquiry is trending, interventions that assist parents in developing the same types of learning talk skills are scarce. In this descriptive study, family discourse was observed at a series of events at community centers that promote science learning, such as the zoo and the library. These events were part of a large-scale professional development program designed to transform teaching and learning around PK-3 science. Families were scored on their interaction, discourse, and use of "talk moves" using the Discourse, Interaction, and Inquiry in Family Science rubric. The results demonstrate that the events promoted family discourse and interaction in a manner dependent on the activity context. Implications for teachers and design of family science learning activities are discussed.

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