Someday you might be invited to compete on Jepoardy and you’ll thank our trust blog contributors for this nerdy information. Did you know that a musician named Gustav Holst was so fascinated by astronomy that he wrote several pieces of classical music about planets? In fact, he wrote music for all of the planets except Earth and Pluto. Why was Pluto excluded? Holst wrote The Planets in 1918, before Pluto was discovered!

Remember, the planets were all named for ancient gods and goddesses, so when it was time for Holst to title his music about the planets, he chose titles that reminded people of the god or goddess for whom the planet was named.

Mars, the Bringer of War; Venus, the Bringer of Peace; Mercury, the Winged Messenger; Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the Magician; and Neptune, the Mystic.

Want a little preview? Here’s Holst’s Mars: Bringer of War, by Gustav Holst

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Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4 - 10, and the actual Teacher Appreciation DAY is May 6th! These dates are nearly upon us, and it’s time to be thinking about what kind of appreciation you want to show your children’s teachers.

Let me give you a few hints: Your child’s teacher already has enough mugs, pins, Christmas ornaments, knick-knacks, and pretty much anything that says “World’s Greatest Teacher.” After teaching for just a few years, most teachers could probably start up a gift shop with that stuff.

What your child’s teacher wants is something he/she can USE! Teachers love gift certificates, for example, and a gift certificate for the Steve Spangler Science Store might be the best thing to EVER HAPPEN to any teacher, EVER.

Seriously, teachers really don’t want another plaque, no matter how catchy it might be. Teachers want things they can use, and if it’s something they can use with their students, that’s even BETTER!

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Hey, you know, just because schools’s almost out doesn’t mean your kid’s interest in science is over! The Experiment of the Week can keep the kids interested, motivated, and busy during the summer, too! More than a million television viewers tune in each week to see what science activity is in the spotlight - now you can watch the streaming video on your computer and get the how-to secrets each week. Our weekly e-mails are packed with cool science experiments, teaching ideas, streaming videos and something guaranteed to make you laugh. This week’s Experiment of the Week - Eating Nails for Breakfast

Listen carefully, you have our personal guarantee that neither your name nor your e-mail address will be shared with anyone or any company. Our mailing lists are not for sale, rent, loan, lease or barter to anyone. Ever.

Sign up now for the Experiment of the Week!

Oh yes, if you sign up for Experiment of the Week, you get 5% off your next order from the Steve Spangler Science store!

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Here’s the video of the latest record. I didn’t realize that the guys at Eepybird were involved. Hats off to Stephan and Fritz - nice job! Is there any other video floating around?

Teachers have been doing this experiment for several years, but with the advent of YouTube and the advantages of the internet, more and more kids are learning about it, and experiencing the sheer fun of science in their back yards and classrooms alike. But what do students actually learn from this experiment?

They learn that the scientific laws and theories in their textbooks came about because somebody made a mess in his/her back yard or classroom. They learn that science is not dry (sometimes it’s really WET!) but actually fascinating. They learn about actions and reactions. They learn that there is beauty in a scientific experiment. They learn that they have the power to prove or disprove a theory. They learn that science is all about exploring and wondering, and sometimes it’s really sticky or messy. They learn that when everyone drops the mint into the diet coke at precisely the same moment and in the exact same way, the results of the experiment are more fair. (Using the Geyser Tube helps with that problem!) They also learn that good science appeals to people of all ages.

The entire experiment is outlined right HERE.

Oh, and one more thing: Not only will the students learn all the above things, they will also learn WHY. And they will remember.

We always remember things that made us happy, and made us laugh, and made us really, really dirty.

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It’s not the first time the editor of Cookie Magazine wanted to get their hands dirty. Over the past year, we’ve been honored to get requests from several of the magazine’s editors wanting to find ways to make learning fun. You can see from the pictures above that Cookie Magazine featured several Spangler science experiments in their March 2008 issue, once again proving that when the kids are allowed to participate, and get their hands DIRTY, the activity turns into a learning experience.

Why did Cookie Magazine contact us? Someone at the magazine subscribes to our Experiment of the Week, and here’s the secret they learned…

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Most teachers feel, at one point or another in their careers, the dreaded BURNOUT.You may not even know you’re suffering from burn-out until it’s too late, so it’s important to keep a close eye on your own attitude and health.Teachers aren’t used to keeping watch over themselves, but we are just as important as our students and our families!

In the Jan-Feb 1995 issue of Instructor magazine, Dr. Judy Downs Lombardi, a professor at the University of Texas, listed these symptoms of possible teacher burnout…

• You’re bored with teaching and don’t feel there’s anything more to learn about your job.
• You bristle at suggestions of new ways to teach.
• You dream of perfection and judge your professional performance without mercy.
• You are plagued by the feeling that you should be doing more at school, even though you’re working hard.
• . . . You feel more comfortable doing paperwork than interacting with students, colleagues, and parents.
• You can’t remember why you went into teaching – or find yourself saying, ‘If only I hadn’t majored in education.’
• Teaching isn’t fun for you any more, and you complain about it incessantly.You take your frustrations home and can’t get them out of your mind.
• You count the days until the next break or summer vacation.
• You worry excessively about your students and their problems.
• You don’t take good care of yourself.You eat poorly, don’t get enough sleep, have let hobbies lapse, resort to unhealthy outlets for stress, and so on.

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Earth Day might be officially over, until next year, but that doesn’t mean we can forget any of the lessons we’ve learned about keeping our planet green, and recycling, and using earth-friendly products, etc.

It seems as though styrofoam, for example, is EVERYWHERE. At the beach. In restaurants. At home. At school. In the workplace. Coffee? Styrofoam. Cola to go? Styrofoam. Tailgate party? Styrofoam. What is it? What happens to it when we throw it away? What’s it made of?

A parent, or a teacher, or an environmentalist, or a celebrity can talk ’til they’re blue in the face about cutting back, and using recyclable and biodegradable products, but until a student sees, with his/her own eyes, exactly what styrofoam is, it doesn’t really mean much. Educators must know how to get the information into a student’s head. Just reading about it in a book, or listening to an adult explain it, isn’t good enough.

Watching a cool science demo can make all the difference!

Science has such incredible potential to amaze, and entrance, and ENCHANT. As teachers and parents and citizens of the planet, we all need to strive to show our children that when we understand how our world is put together, and how all parts interact and don’t interact, how cause and effect impacts our daily lives, and how much FUN it can be to learn it all.

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… but nothing was stolen or broken or vandalized… unless you consider turning everything green an act of vandalism. It all makes sense when you remember the date - March 17th - St. Patrick’s Day. That “someone” was either a Leprechaun or a teacher with a very funny sense of humor. Sure, there was the usual St. Patrick’s Day stuff like coloring the water in all of the toilets green, rearranging furniture and other general mischief things, but this person went the extra mile. The water coming out of the sink faucets was green!

The first person to discover this was a second grade teacher who always arrives early and has taken it upon herself to start the coffee brewing. When she turned on the water this morning to fill the coffee pot, the water came out of the faucet green. No kidding. News about the green water spread like wildfire as teachers throughout the school tested each faucet. Just how did someone turn the water green… and who’s responsible for the greatest St. Patrick’s Day stunt ever pulled off at this school (maybe any school)?

Turning the water green is easy (if you know the secret) and doesn’t cause any damage to anything… other than to drive everyone crazy trying to figure out how to do it. Last year, Leprechauns turned the water green at our house and my three boys will never forget the experience.

But this blog post is not about the green water… it’s about a school filled with wonder and laughter long before the first child stepped through the front door. One of the teachers (maybe more) took the initiative to come in over the weekend and rig up all of the sinks, just for the joy of doing it! Since the person (or Leprechaun) didn’t reveal his or her identity, everyone was talking to anyone who thought they had some inside information. By the time the kids gathered up their St. Patrick’s Day treats and headed out to the buses, absolutely everyone person in the school knew about the green water. In fact, the embellishments to the story grew by the hour. Who knows what those kids told their parents… other than to say what fun everyone had at school today. And no one is certain who to blame for all of the laughter and smiles on this St. Patrick’s Day at Wilder Elementary. I wonder what those Leprechauns have in store for next year. Okay, enough is enough… who did it?

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I'm in Boston having dinner at Fenway Park with some really amazing people. No, I didn't meet any sports stars or television celebrities - I met the people who are directly responsible for making all of those catalogs and coupons appear in my mailbox at home. I was honored to get to speak at the New England Mail Order Association (NEMOA) Spring conference. I met the marketing geniuses behind so many of the top name catalogs that fill our mailboxes, and I gained some very interesting insights…

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