The former chemistry lecturer - the first person to take gunpowder into Parliament since Guy Fawkes - said school lessons in the subject had become damp squibs.
In a Commons debate, the Bolton South-East MP complained about the lack of specialist teachers and said some science teachers could make chemistry, biology or zoology complicated if not boring.
And he said it could be blamed on increased concerns over health and safety.
Excitement
"I well remember the excitement of my chemistry lessons at school, with teachers making the chemicals as they described them to us and being able to get hands-on with the subject to really understand how it all worked," said Dr Iddon. "It saddens me that many of today's young people will not be able to experience this magic of science as the curriculum has become increasingly tight on time and teachers feel unable to lead the children in performing demonstrations whether it is due to a lack of confidence or through fear of health and safety issues."
Dr Iddon said that for 29 years he presented a 90-minute demonstration lecture called `The Magic of Chemistry'.
He said he and some of his colleagues put a lot of `flash bang and wallop' into the demonstrations.
He said that now, because of health and safety concerns, chemistry lessons had become flat.
"When I was 11 I acquired an excellent chemistry set from another boy in my village who had become bored with it.
"The front porch in our house, normally only used for funerals, became my laboratory.
"In those days chemicals and basic glassware such as round bottomed flasks, retort stands, beehive shelves and thistle funnels could be purchased from a chemist shop," added Dr Iddon.
"Sadly the classroom and teachers have changed, partly because of fear of litigation should something go wrong. That has helped to put a dampener on some of the more exciting aspects of presenting science."
Dr Iddon gave a lecture on chemistry in the Palace of Westminster in 1997 and was the first person to bring gunpowder into the Commons since Guy Fawkes' 36 barrels were removed after he was discovered in a tunnel under the House of Lords in 1604, hours before he planned to light the fuse.
Dr Iddon, Parliamentary adviser to the Royal Society of Chemistry, urged the Government to make science inspiring and exciting for the children of today - and the scientists of tomorrow.
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Health and Safety killjoys are to blame.
They want to remove 'fun' from any activity these days. The only time Chemistry was interesting was when some poor unfortunate got an experiment wrong and things went bang in the lab!
Health and Safety killjoys are to blame.
They want to remove 'fun' from any activity these days. The only time Chemistry was interesting was when some poor unfortunate got an experiment wrong and things went bang in the lab!
Teachers need to ignite a spark of enthusiasm in all subjects, science is one of few that can really give kids the evidential & visual zeal to learn more.
Unfortunately many of the kids today are not brought up to question things, they are,instead, old to shut the 'f' up. (or at least here in stockport),Which doesn't encourage a scientific future or even an interest in science.
At an early age both my kids asked questions about EVERYTHING, though hard to answer as a parent I've tried to offer them access to all the questions that I cannot answer, too many parents just lay down their own laws of physics instead making it harder for these kids. Freedom through education has been a given right in this country in the past few years & it would be a shame if,in the future, kids from all levels were not allowed access to the lessons which will encourage them to question & research whatever their interests may be.
we once dissolved a classmate's coat in a vat of diluted acid while the science teacher was out of the room. science used to be fun!
You would think all teachers would require the skills to make whatever subject they are teaching 'interesting' anyway, along with the skills to control the kids by commanding respect!