Topic - Conferences

The NAEYC 2009 Surprise – Science Experiment Requires a Forklift

So, what’s in store for this year at the NAEYC annual conference? We have a science surprise for everyone who stops by our booth (#323). While I can’t let the cat out of the bag right now, I can give you a few hints. It’s totally hands-on and it’s so large that it requires a forklift to move it. If you’re lucky enough to be attending the conference, follow us on Twitter so we can give you a few more hints and let you know how and when you can participate.

Washington D.C. is preparing for the arrival of thousands of early childhood teachers at the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) annual conference. Over the years, I’ve been honored to present hands-on science workshops and featured sessions, but I probably enjoy my time in the exhibit hall the most… because we always try to plan something over-the-top for the thousands of teachers who stop by the booth. We’ve filled our science demo island with hundreds of gallons of Instant Snow, shot off 700 Mentos

Reach Them to Teach Them 2009 – Motivating Teachers to Achieve Peak Performance

If you’ve ever taught a day in your life, you know that the job is both rewarding and exhausting. In an effort to keep our students inspired and motivated to want to learn, sometimes we forget to recharge our own teaching batteries. Amy Crawford is an amazing elementary teacher based out of Knoxville, Tennessee who understands the need for teachers to have a profound impact on the lives of their students… but she also understands the need for teachers themselves to stay motivated. In 2006, Amy and a her dream team created a non-profit organization called Reach Them to Teach Them. The mission is clear… To train, motivate and inspire leaders so that every child is equipped to reach his/her maximum potential. I was honored to be invited to serve as the keynote speaker at this year’s event at the historic Tennessee Theater with 1,700 teachers on hand.

Atlanta Hands-on Science Secrets Boot Camp

It’s just too bad that no one ever has any fun at our Hands-on Science Secrets Boot Camps… check out the pictures to see how bored these awesome teachers were.

Flying Potatoes in Ireland – Irish Science Teachers Focus on Student Engagement

Demonstrating the Laminar flow demo called Twist of Time

We just arrived in Shannon, Ireland and we’re headed to the University of Limerick for the Irish Science Teachers Association meeting. I’ve had the great fortune of speaking at this conference twice in 1997 and 2000 where I made some fantastic friends in the science education world. When I spoke the first time in Cork, I can remember taking all of my demos over with me on the plane (oh how times have changed). Twelve years later, FedEx delivered my demos after signing my life away and, I’m happy to report, everything arrived in one piece. But there are a few things that are difficult to ship over for one reason or another. When I arrived at the University of Limerick today, I was greeted by Bob Kelly who had a 220 volt smoke machine in hand, a bag of balloons filled with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6 for the Reverse Helium demo), and a large trash can. I just can’t remember if I asked them to turn off the smoke

Science of the Irish – Off to Speak at the Irish Science Teachers Association

Back in July, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on an Irish talk radio program to talk about science, things that explode and the Mentos reaction. During the interview, I mentioned that I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at the ISTA (Irish Science Teachers Association) were I first showed the Mentos reaction in 1999. Several months later, I got a call from Jim McNamara from the ISTA with an invitation to join them in Limerick, Irleand for their 2009 conference.

I pulled my noted from my last lecture in Dublin for the ISTA 2000 conference and started to pull together an hour long program. Within a week of creating my set list, I got a call from the conference planners with their own list of demos that they had seen on YouTube.

Amazing… YouTube didn’t even exist a decade ago and today it’s a resource that is changing the way we teach. I’d much rather take over demos they want to see, but I wonder how we’re going to get the cement mixer and 2,500 boxes of cornstarch. We might have to resort to plan “B.”