May 13, 2008

Not Your Typical Mentos Geyser Video

There are literally thousands of online videos featuring the Mentos Geyser experiment, but this video is worth a few minutes of your time. It's a first-class video produced by Mr. Delos Santos and his third grade class at Stone Ranch Elementary in San Diego, California. Mr. Santos says that the project first started out as just a science experiment for the unit on Matter, but quickly grew into a much bigger project. But it's not just a video, the class created their own "Fizz"ical Science website. "The largest challenge in producing a project like this is being able to engage all students in the digital learning process. Teaching them the proper technique and how to convey their message in a clear and systematic way was another challenging aspect of our project," according to Mr. Santos. Here's the best part... The video has been nominated for an iVIE (Innovative Video in Education) Award! The award ceremony will take place on May 20th, and we'll keep you posted. BUT... We held our own screening earlier today and our staff would like to present Mr. Delos Santos' third grade class with our own video … (more...)

November 15, 2006

Mentos and Soda Mix - An Erupting Business

In addition to being the Business Columnist for the Denver Post, Al Lewis is now a fan of the Mentos and soda mixture. Al called last week with questions about our recent license agreement with with Italian confectioner Perfetti Van Melle, the maker of Mentos. His column entitled Mentos-Soda Mix a Mint for Scientist looks at the business side of the popular Mentos Geyser. He asked lots of questions about things other than my work on the Mentos experiment. He wanted to know about my background, my teaching and my parents. "Let me get this straight," I said to Spangler. "Your father was a scientist and a magician. David Copperfield hung out at your house. You are now 39 years old. And getting a pop bottle to squirt 20 feet in the air is the best trick you know?" "This isn't the best trick," he said. "It's the trick that got the most notoriety." Al also wanted to learn how this science experiment turned into a viral marketing sensation with the Mentos video that aired on 9NEWS in September of 2005. Al asked me if teachers are really doing this experiment and how they're turning it into a learning … (more...)

October 26, 2006

Grandma and Grandson Take Mentos to New Heights

I recently received an email from Mimi Sylvia and her grandson Scott. Mimi (she has been called that since her oldest granddaughter tried to say "grandma" and it came out "mimi") loves to teach science to her 10 grandkids and says she doesn't plan on growing up herself anytime soon. Every summer, Mimi Sylvia and her husband travel to Montana to visit their daughter and her family. Mimi Sylvia says they pack their car full of experiments and crafts. She loves to show the kids that science is fun. Mimi and Scotty tried the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment and WOW did they make a splash. Scotty outdid his two older sisters and brother. We were so impressed with the photo she sent, that we had to share! Keep aiming high, big guy!

July 17, 2006

Do Bubbles in Guiness Go Down?

... or is it an optical illusion? Richard Zare is a world-renowned chemist at Stanford University, and he has a particular fascination with bubbles. He recently showed why the bubbles actually go down the side of the glass when you first pull a pint of Guinness. This gentleman might have something to say about the Mentos reaction. Hmmm?

July 3, 2006

EepyBird Guys Take Their Show on the Road

Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, the Eepybird guys who turned the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment into art are jumping from the Internet to the mainstream media. They appeared on David Letterman last Thursday night and on the "Today Show" Friday morning. They demonstrated their version of the Bellagio Fountains done with Mentos and Diet Coke on both shows. Their video went viral after they posted a 3-minute video on their website using more than 500 Mentos and more than 100 two-liter plastic bottles of Diet Coke in June.