Favorite Halloween Science Demos

 Print This Post

7 Comments

I remember a time when Halloween was nothing more than dressing up and running from house to house in search of the greatest candy bars. Fast-forward to 2008 and Halloween is a big deal… elaborate costumes, parties galore and merchandising second only to Christmas. Oh, did I mention that it’s a dream come true for the highly-motivated, somewhat neurotic science teacher who can’t wait to make things glow, ooze, pop, scream and gross out everyone who is willing to participate. If you’re one of these teachers, please keep reading (because I need your help). This year, we’re compiling a list of the best Halloween Science Demos… so far. You’ll find some of my favorites in the list below, but this is just the starting point. I want to know your best Halloween Science Demos. Just post a comment below and share what makes your students (or children) scream with excitement!

• Atomic Slime 
• Dry Ice Experiments 
• Halloween Recipes 
• Dry Ice Crystal Ball Bubble 
• Halloween Sounds 
• Light Sticks 
• VIDEO: Exploding Pumpkins

Glowing Pumpkins - Martha Combines Arts & Crafts with Science

 Print This Post

Leave a Comment

Hats off to Martha Stewart for job well done on her glow-in-the-dark pumpkins (okay, she called them funkins featured on October 26, 2007, on her television show. Our Media Product Coordinator, Brian Firooz, worked with the segment producer for several weeks to create a very cool effect using our Glow Powder and a little Martha Stewart creativity. The end result was a very cool glow-in-the-dark effect that was enhanced even more by using a black light. 

Exploding Watermelons

 Print This Post

6 Comments

I love Halloween. One of my favorite activities is to “carve” pumpkins using a simple reation inside the fruit. First, you carve the face then carefully replace pieces. After creating a reaction by generating a gas inside and igniting it (ask your local chemistry teacher for the details) the face pieces are blown off with a small explosion. Halloween is more than 100 days away and I just couldn’t wait. So I initiated the new weather anchor at the local Denver television station by introducing her to carving watermelons. The problem was, we didn’t really carve the watermelon, it exploded. Watch the Video to see how we skipped right over the carving and went straight to exploding.

Hands-on Halloween Science

 Print This Post

4 Comments

I’m not sure if Halloween was better for me as a kid or right now as an adult… okay, it’s better now! It’s no secret that I make the most out of every Halloween - from the oozing slime at school to the ghoulish fun at home, Halloween is the perfect time to let your creativity out for an evening of fun. I think it all started growing up in a family where my parents turned Halloween into a full fledged show. I learned not to bother my Dad after about two o’clock in the afternoon on Halloween because he was getting the entry way of our home ready for those poor unsuspecting Trick-or-Treaters. My favorite memory was getting to sit in his home-made electric chair - complete with blinking lights and giant sparks of static electricity coming from the metal hat. It was great! When the doorbell rang, it was showtime… and my job was to yell at the top of my lungs, “Hey Mister… all I wanted was a lousy piece of candy!” We never gave away much candy on Halloween - no one ever stuck around long enough …

Halloween Science Kit - Brew up a potion for learning and fun

 Print This Post

Leave a Comment

I’m not sure if Halloween was better for me as a kid or right now as an adult… but it’s no secret that I make the most out of every Halloween. As a holiday, Halloween has changed so much over the years. I never remember my parents being invited to an “adult�? Halloween party, but now these parties are more popular than ever. When my family and I arrived at a neighbor’s Halloween party last year, we were greeted by ghosts and goblins on the driveway who lead us through an awesome maze, into their hanunted house on our way into the party. The whole garage had been transformed into a full-blown haunted mansion! Yes, Halloween has changed over the years and this is part of the inspiration behind a our Halloween Science Kit. As a teacher, I could hardly wait for the first of October to roll around so I could start planning my Halloween Science demos and activities for my students. Every year my Halloween Science unit grew… and so did the storage space I needed to keep everything. Beakers, graduated cylinders, cauldrons, static electricity machine, growing body parts… you name it and we …