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 15, 2008

The Carnival of Education, #180

What makes a good science fair, a good school, a good science lesson? Hands-on exploration and discovery are a great start and never forget to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in our students.

Without enthusiasm and even a little risk sometimes, learning can quickly become a dead end street. Where there's boredom, there's danger.

No worries about any of that here, though. The teachers who have contributed to this week's Carnival of Education are all of those good things... and MORE.

Let's visit some of them, shall we?

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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!

July 3, 2008

July 4th Science - Exploding Watermelons

Over the years, the exploding pumpkin demo is right up there at the top of my short list for my all time favorite, crowd-pleasing science demonstration. But who wants to wait a whole year just to do the demo again? That's why we're working on the fine art of watermelon carving... with the aid of a tiny chemical reaction... okay, it's an explosion. We just substituted a big, juicy watermelon in place of the pumpkin and pulled the trigger. Since the walls of a watermelon are not necessarily as strong as a pumpkin, sometimes the whole darn thing explodes... but that adds to the fun. Check out the video. (If the video doesn't play, click on Exploding Watermelon Experiment.)

June 16, 2008

Henny Penny Preschool has a Blast with Science!

There is a waiting list for parents who want to enroll their children in the Henny Penny Preschool, and there is a good reason for that: Amy Dolley has created one of the best preschool environments I’ve ever seen! Amy doesn’t even have to advertise... word of mouth is what sells the Henny Penny Preschool.

Amy wasn’t comfortable with the kind of preschool her own children had attended, so she decided to create a livelier, more “hands-on” environment when she quit her Kindergarten and 1st grade teaching job and started her own preschool right in her home.

She knew she could do it, too. After all, as the Story Lady, she had built her “clientele” from five children –three of which were her own – to over fifty kids! Obviously, Amy knew how to reach and teach small children, and with her own school, she knew she would get to do “what she wants, how she wants.” And what Amy wanted to do was create an environment that allowed small children to run and play, to get muddy and wet, and to

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