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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You might have seen t-shirts or special jewelry (beads) that changes color in sunlight. Energy Beads look like ordinary white beads used to make a craft project, but embedded in the plastic is a special pigment that changes color when exposed to ultraviolet light. The color change takes place in just seconds - almost like magic. Mrs. Bratteli’s Third Grade Class from Aikin Elementary School in Paris, Texas, used the beads as a way to see if sunscreen lotion really blocks out harmful ultraviolet light from the sun.

We did an experiment with your UV beads and sunscreen and the types were 10, 30, and 50 SPF.  We put them each on a foam plate and had a nothing plate.  [control—no sunscreen] They changed colors exactly how they were supposed to, but the 50 you couldn’t see. Read the full experiment write-up.

But, like all good experiments, these third graders discovered something else…

We left them all over the weekend and here are our results.  The SPF 50 sunscreen also ate through the Styrofoam plate!  The spf 10 did a little eating through the plate, but the 30 did not do a thing and neither did the nothing.  Do you think using 50 and 10 SPF is dangerous or would effect us?

Here's a great example of kids doing real science and making new observations and discoveries. As you might imagine, there's nothing wrong with the kids' sunscreen, but what they did discover is that something in the sunscreen reacted with the Styrofoam plate. It's well known that fingernail polish remover (dilute acetone), spray glue, paints and other household chemicals react with Styrofoam, causing the polystyrene to quickly dissolve on contact. The students discovered something in their brand of sunscreen that caused a similar reaction.

Hats off to Nancy Bratteli and Nicole Sumpter, third grade teachers at Aikin Elementary in Paris, Texas, who do a great job of getting their students excited about science throughout the year. Halloween is especially fun for these two when they host Aikin All-Day Science… and the kids go crazy. One of the prevailing themes in my training seminars is the need for turning ordinary activities into unforgettable learning experiences… and these teachers are doing it. Nice job.

Want to try your own experiment using UV detecting beads? Take a look at these science project ideas and links…

How do UV Energy Beads work?

UV Experiment - Blocking Rays with a Medicine Bottle?

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It’s great to get emails with this subject line… My science fair project placed 1st from an idea from your website! Grant Smith is a 4th grader at S&S Elementary in Sherman, Texas. The “S&S” two small towns, Southmayd and Sadler, are approximately one hour north of Dallas. Grant used our website as a resource to expand on the idea of the Growing Ivory Soap experiment. Here’s Grant’s email about his award…

Mr. Steve Spangler,
My 4th Grade Teacher has taught us many cool Science experiments from your website. I got on your website to give me an idea for my Science Fair Project. I proved that Ivory Soap has air inside of it by showing it floats and expanding it in the microwave. Last week I placed 1st in the 4th Grade that earned me the “Chief Scientist” Certificate. I am very proud of it. I wanted to tell you thank you for your cool website. My teacher loves going to your workshops and showing us your videos too. We learn a whole lot from your website, kits, and books. Thank you very much! Oh! I was also so excited when I ordered a Sonic WackyPack Meal and got your Science Book!!! I did all of the experiments in class for my teacher and classmates. I am so glad that I can purchase some of your science kit items at Hobby Lobby too. I love buying them and showing my friends! Thanks for all you do for kids and teachers. My teacher told me that I should tell you about winning the Science Fair Project with your idea on Ivory Soap. She said that you would be proud of me. I copied your Steve Spangler website logo and displayed it on my Science Fair Project Board to show where I got my information.

Great job Grant! We share these pictures with permission from Grant and his parents.

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