November 13, 2008

Mentos Geyser Used to Launch Beaker 20 Feet

It was quite a week for our Spangler Science team when we invaded Texas with 24 staff members and Spangler Ambassadors. Half the team headed to Fort Worth for CAST (the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching) and half the team went to Dallas for NAEYC ( the National Association for the Education of Young Children). While our NAEYC team was launching Mentos geysers on the Boy in a Box, the CAST team also found a unique way to use the Geyser Tube... launching our favorite scientist, Beaker , 30-feet in the air in the Geyser Chamber. It was quite a sight at the Spangler Science booth when Beaker when shooting through the air on a stream of Diet Coke. When the team wasn't launching stuffed Muppets, they were busy talking with excited science teachers and even presenting workshops at the conference. Spangler Speaker Julie Gintzler presented her Chicka, Chicka - KABOOM workshop. The eager participants were more than a little excited when Julie pulled out the amazing Square Bubble and the "magical" Spot Dot Thumb... now there's way … (more...)

November 11, 2008

Having a Blast at the NAEYC 2008 Conference

If you attended the annual NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) conference last week in Dallas, Texas, it wasn't hard to find the Steve Spangler Science booth. All you had to do was listen for the shouts of surprise as we launched over 600 Mentos Geysers with the Geyser Tube™ in our own take on the classic dunk tank... the Boy in a Box. It was great to see the teacher reactions when they pulled the string and sent a blast of Coke raining down on our never-tiring Boys in a Box.

As my team can attest, I lost my voice at the conference... just like I do every year... from explaining to everyone who passed by the science behind the Mentos and Diet Coke reaction.  It's important as educators that we don't just drop some Mentos in a Coke and call it science.  The resulting geyser is a great effect, but you are missing the key piece of the lesson.  Shoot off a geyser, then listen as your students start to ask questions... "Why does that happen?"...  "What if we used more Mentos?"...

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August 5, 2008

Contest Winner Makes Summer Camp a Huge Success

When we invited our customers to show us their Summer Science Camps with You Tube videos, Cheryl Purdum when above and beyond the call. Any teacher who is willing to dress up as a Mad Scientist to win a gift certificate to our website clearly deserved that winning title.

Cheryl followed up with us later in the summer to let us know that her summer camp was a huge success. Her pictures were such a treat... I loved looking at the kids' facial expressions and to truly see a sense of wonder. The color mixing activities looked like they were a big hit, and the cornstarch walk was a riot. Just the look on their faces tells the whole story! I can't think of anyone who could have put the gift certificate to better use. Thanks so much, Cheryl, for your enthusiasm for teaching science and for all that you do to create experiences for kids that they'll never forget.

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July 23, 2008

How the Mentos Geyser Works - Theory Confirmed!

It's probably the most asked question we get... "How exactly does that experiment with the Mentos and Diet Coke really work?" From the outset (nearly eight years ago), we hypothesized that the exploding soda was a physical reaction, and the key factor in the release of carbon dioxide was the microscopic pits on the surface

of the chewy mint. However, there was no real scientific study that anyone could point to as the definitive answer... until now. In the June issue of the American Journal of Physics, Tonya S. Coffey, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Appalachian State University, in Boone, N.C., and her team of fearless physics students reported on the ingredients, temperature dependence, duration, and other parameters of the suddenly famous Mentos-Diet Coke reaction.

There has been considerable debate over gum arabic (found in the coating of the mint) and the role it plays in the physical reaction. Coffey’s group was able to confirm that the surfactant gum arabic is a key component of the reaction: It reduces surface tension, thereby

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July 14, 2008

Upside-Down Tomatoes a Big Hit in Indiana

We love it when people read our blog, try the cool and funky things we suggest, have tons of fun doing it, and SUCCEED! Mamacita of Scheiss Weekly tried our Upside-Down Tomatoes and so far, it's been a BIG HIT out there in southern Indiana. We might suggest that she find a better place to put that sharp box cutter, though. Watch your fingers, Mamacita!