October 27, 2007

Glowing Pumpkins - Martha Combines Arts & Crafts with Science

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. 

July 11, 2007

Exploding Watermelons

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.

October 17, 2006

Hands-on Halloween Science

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 … (more...)

October 5, 2006

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

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 … (more...)

October 9, 2005

Mad About Science Week - Wally Keesecker

Our week-long salute to amazing science teachers wraps up with a visit to Heritage High School in Littleton, Colorado, where chemistry teacher Wally Keesecker gets students fired up about science. Wally is well-known for his attention-grabbing science demos that introduce students to real-world connections to everyday chemistry. Video: The Steve Spangler Mad Scientist Tour finishes the week with a bang at Heritage High School. 6 a.m. October 7, 2005. This is an especially fun visit for Steve since Wally Keesecker was his 8th grade science teacher in the Littleton Public Schools. "People like me make the decision to go into education after being inspired by an amazing teacher. While I didn't exactly know that I would one day become a science teacher, I knew that I wanted to do something in education after experiencing someone as amazing as Wally Keesecker," says Steve Spangler who is like a kid in a candy store whenever he pays a visit to his former science teacher. Wally and his teaching colleagues dazzled us with two demonstrations centered around a Halloween theme. The first demo illustrated a chemical reaction that oozed from the eyes and mouth of a carved pumpkin. Because … (more...)