Brandt Callahan and Jackson Bartlett, who go to Parkview Intermediate School in Bedford, Indiana, took the Experiment of the Week and won FIRST PRIZE in the third grade division of the Science Fair!

In fact, Brandt and Jackson added a little OOMPH to the experiment by using several different kinds of cereal instead of just one, and using a blender instead of a baggie and their hands. The boys admit that most of the cereals they used just didn’t seem to have any iron in them, in spite of what their labels claimed.

Next time, they’re going to use Life cereal, because they want to SEE the little black dots of iron! They’ve also decided that there definitely won’t be any raisins involved - the ICK factor was just too high with raisins.

Brandt and Jackson are in the third grade, and they learned about this experiment from their teacher. Jackson had won First Prize in first grade, and Brandt had never entered a science fair before, so they decided they’d be perfect partners!

Both Brandt and Jackson love science, but since Brandt’s mom is a math teacher, he added that math is his favorite subject. GOOD ANSWER, Brandt!

While the boys confessed that science is a lot more fun when they can get up and put their hands in it, they also said that experiments seem to go more smoothly when they’ve done a little reading about it beforehand.

Congratulations to Brandt and Jackson! Science Fairs can be loads of fun, and it takes a lot of dedication and hard work to win First Prize.

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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…

Read the rest of this entry »

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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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Last week the producers at the Ellen Show called to see if I had anything new that might amaze Ellen… and make her laugh. Hmmm… what do you think? After a few phone calls and some time trading some demo videos over e-mail, we’re set with the show line-up for Tuesday, April 15th. The most asked question I get after one of these appearances is how do I go about picking the science experiments. Does the producer pick everything? Do I get to make any suggestions? The answer is both. In the case of the Ellen Show, the producers come to me with some requests after watching a few of my science video segments from 9NEWS and ask for my feedback. We trade ideas and finally arrive at a final list of demos that the segment producer pitches to his executive producers. The moment we get the thumbs up, we move into high gear getting everything packed and shipped off to the studio in Burbank. That’s the boring answer to the question.

I’m very honored to have been asked back for another visit to the show. I’m looking forward to teaching her how to shoot potatoes. Click here for the show line-up.

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I am honored to be invited to speak at the 2008 NSTA National Conference in Boston this March 27-30. In addition to the hundreds of concurrent sessions offered at the conference, NSTA hosts a number of professional development mini-conferences on specific areas of interest. I'll serve as the morning keynote speaker for the Science for Teachers of Young Learners Conference. This special day will provide PreK–2 teachers with hands-on science workshops, speakers, and other activities designed to help bring the joys of science to young students… or so the printed program says. Learn more about the Science for Teachers of Young Learners strand at the NSTA National Conference in March.

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All this week on TV, I had the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at Denver-based companies who each have a cool science twist to their business. The scientists at Gates Corporation invited our cameras on a tour of the hydraulic testing labs at Gates where they demonstrated how engineers test high pressure rubber hoses for commercial use. During the segment, Joel Edwards, Vice President of Fluid Technology & Product Development and Larry Kachinski, Senior Lab Engineer pressurized a hose rated to 6,000 psi with a safety factor of 4:1. The loud burst produced a perfect rupture at nearly 28,000 psi! 

Watch the Video 

Anything that goes bang is fun, but… I was most impressed to speak with Joel Edwards, VP of Product Development, and his engineers who all share the same passion for getting students K-12 excited about careers in science and engineering. For more information about Gates Corporation, visit www.gates.com 

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Today's most asked question is… How did you get that much cornstarch for the Walk on Water demo on the Ellen Show? Sure, you could go to the store and ask customer service for 2,500 boxes of cornstarch, but the better solution might be purchasing a pallet of the white powder from a food distributor. Mixing the cornstarch with water is the next problem.

Watch the Cornstarch Water Walk Video

The Science Behind the Goo - Photos from the Ellen Show

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Mixing 2,500 pounds of cornstarch with the kitchen mixer just didn't work, so we had to find a cement truck… and a very cool cement truck mixing guy. Oh, and you also need three people who know exactly what the cornstarch mixer should feel like when it's perfectly mixed. Jeff, Carly and Renee served as the mixologists while I called the producer at the Ellen Show to let him know that we were ready to roll to the studio. 

Watch the Cornstarch Water Walk Video

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It's also a good idea to find someone in the audience who you've never met and trust that you won't let them sink into a pit of cornstarch goo. Watch the Cornstarch Water Walk Video View more photos at The Science Behind the Goo - Photos from the Ellen Show

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