Home > Archive by tag 'educational games or Mr. Wizard Website or TV or teacher resources'
Tag - educational games or Mr. Wizard Website or TV or teacher resources
April 18, 2006
When the phone rings, we never know quite what to expect. The phone rang and on the other end was a senior producer at the Ellen Show (you know… Ellen DeGeneres). It seems that this producer had been watching a few of our science videos and wanted to know if Ellen would have fun making huge clouds with liquid nitrogen, shooting potatoes, whipping up a batch of slime or learning how to make toilet paper fly. My response was “yes” to all of the above. But maybe it’s best if you help us decide which science experiments would be most fun to do with Ellen. Of course, the goal of the segment is to show parents how to make learning fun… and what could be more fun than 50 gallons of Insta-Snow erupting on the set? Now this doesn’t mean that I’m automatically on the show… they’re just interested. So, what cool science demos should I pitch to the producers at the Ellen Show?
October 26, 2005
My family and I made our way to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to visit a long-time friend and amazing teacher, Jeanne Lodwick. While eating breakfast, “Miss Jeanne” told my oldest boy (Jack - 6 years old) that he was going on a treasure hunt after breakfast at Steamboat Lake. She gave Jack an empty egg carton and said, “This is where you will keep all of the treasures that you’ll find on our walk.” Using a Sharpie Pen, she numbered each of the empty spaces 1 through 12. On an index card, Jeanne wrote down 12 characteristics of the rocks she wanted Jack to find - rough, smooth, flat, round and so on. Jack set out on his “rock hunt” which kept him busy for the better part of the morning until the task was complete. I’m reminded that great teachers are in the business of sharing their teaching “gems” at any time. Jeanne’s scavenger hunt activity is loaded with the skills we strive to teach each day. In order to complete the task, Jack had count, compare, classify, observe and measure. And yes, you guessed correctly… I’m saving egg cartons and frantically writing down scavenger hunt ideas for our …
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September 12, 2005
A hot topic with new teachers, especially primary teachers right now is how to set up a Science Center. Kindergarten teacher extraordinaire Julie Gintzler from Maywood Elementary in Indiana has 18 years in teaching. 18 years ago they didn’t have centers, just a bucket of toys and a nap. Julie does Science Centers in two different ways. First, there are Subject Centers which focus on projects we have done already, the things the kids would like to revisit, and the living creatures we would like to experiment on. Julie also does Theme Centers, like a Snow Center that has instant snow in a tub, a center for books about snow, and a center where kids are making polar bear paws. Centers are a great way to expose children to various forms of thought to see these items in different settings. There is a difference between guided inquiry and self-directed inquiry. When we teach, kids we give them guided inquiry “” the steps to achieve a particular goal. Self-guiding is when a child can play and learn by making and doing. There are always times that guided instruction is necessary, but there is some wonderful learning that can take place when the teacher steps outside of that …
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Tags: children, kids, Kindergarten teacher, primary teachers, Science Center, science for kids, Subject Centers, teach, teacher resources, Theme Centers
Filed under: Podcasts, Teaching Moments
September 7, 2005
A popular guest on the Johnny Carson Show, Don Herbert was truly an inspiration to an entire generation of science enthusiasts. I remember watching him as a kid and being impressed by the fact that while he was amazing, he didn’t have a laboratory or wear a lab coat. He just looked like a friendly guy who did amazingly cool science experiments in his garage… what a great neighbor! In contrast to television today, I was struck by the fact that he would allow an experiment to fail. Why didn’t they edit it out? Because he believed that failure was so important for children to see. In 1991 I was approached by NBC television to host a 3½-minute science spot in a program called News for Kids. Remember, this was pre “Bill Nye the Science Guy” or “Beakman”. As we planned the look and feel of the segment, something inside told me to call Don Herbert and get his advice… so I did. Here’s what Don Herbet said, “Don’t’ let them put you in a lab coat if you don’t want to look like a doctor or research scientist… just be yourself… and “… never let …
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Tags: cool science experiments, Don Herbert, educational games, edutainment experience, gee whiz factor, Mr. Wizard Website, Science, science teachers, teacher resources, TV
Filed under: Podcasts, Teaching Moments
August 26, 2005
One of the benefits of home schooling is you can take time to wonder, discover and explore. Science instruction can be a really difficult area, however, because you may have limited resources such as chemicals and equipment. So why not go to the local school and talk to the administrators about the possibility of working with some teachers as they create these science experiences. Tell them you would like to talk about combining some of these experiences and participate in things other kids can do. For parents who don’t feel comfortable teaching science, go into the community. Science museums are open to home schooling groups. Scientists in the field in your local area are more than happy to help out. All you have to do is ask. As someone who gets a lot of these requests, the best groups are organized clusters and where students have some background — because we can create experiences that are as meaningful as possible. Be organized and understand you have information and resources available out there to ensure science is an important part of your child’s daily learning experience. 
Listen to my podcast on making science come alive in home schooling (File size …
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