I am frustrated. As our children grow up, they want to experiment. Explore. Discover. The internet is a wonderful tool to use in their education and growing independence. Growing up, I had to use encyclopedias, libraries, books. Now, everything is at our children’s fingertips. We all know dangers exist on the internet. Today’s kids have to learn how to navigate through the dangers and decipher the pitfalls. But what about when they are researching and learning? What if they are on a website aimed at children and their education? Will they recognize the dangers?
We get numerous requests to share how Steve does the Exploding Pumpkin demonstration. He is very clear that it is a demonstration, not an experiment, and does not give the chemicals or the instructions on how to do it yourself at home. It isn’t a magic trick or a secret. It is dangerous for children.
With knowledge comes power and with power comes responsibility.
Chemistry can be dangerous… and explosive. Mixing chemicals, discovering the flammable elements, and playing with fire; no wonder chemistry also involves safety goggles, hot pads,
Mad About Science™ salutes the propane scientists at AmeriGas, the nation’s largest supplier of propane tanks and cylinders. Greg Rice and Chris Selepec from AmeriGas demonstrated the science behind propane tanks and explained propane tank safety at their facility in Commerce City, Colorado.
Greg and Chris demonstrated that propane is both a gas and a liquid. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Like with natural gas, an identifying odor is added so it can be easily detected.
They showed how the liquid quickly boils off and turns into a gas and talked about the importance of checking for leaks on your propane cylinders at home. A recent house fire in Parker, Colorado was partially due to an improperly connected propane cylinder to a barbecue grill that was up next to the house.
For more information on how to check for a propane leak,
Curious Jane Camps are powered by girls. Or maybe they just run on girl power. Founder Samantha Razook Murphy, launched the all-girls camps last summer to encourage girls to explore the world around them. The camps are available in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia and Naples, Florida.
Curious Jane offers a wide variety of after-school and summer camps ranging from toy design, story arts, building, writing, lab science and rocket science. Yes rocket science.
Samantha, the mother of two girls, began Curious Jane to combine everything she loved about her education in graphic design along with everything she grew to value about an all-girls summer experience. Samantha has worked with girls for about 10 years and has seen the internal and external pressure placed on girls to get things right.
The goal with Curious Jane is to remove the fear of failure, not worry about the right answer and support girls in experimenting freely and widely in a variety of activities. The activities are process-oriented, not product-oriented. Above all, the most important goal of the camps is to have fun.
Thousands of people are at risk from exposure to Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) every day. This silent killer has gone unreported by the media and ignored by government agencies. The dangers remain virtually unknown to the general public. Fortunately, a concerned group has created a series of safety messages to get the word out about the dangers of DHMO.
Steve Spangler Science has also jumped in to do its part by offering a Dihydrogen Monoxide Containment Kit. Yes, it’s expensive, but safety is more important than money, right?
In addition to the dangers posed to living creatures, DHMO has caused billions of dollars worth of property and environmental damage. The chemical compound has been known to wipe out entire cities at record-breaking speed.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of DHMO is its wide-spread uses in
Don’t be surprised if you start seeing your favorite toy catalogs and educational toy websites (hopefully www.SteveSpanglerScience.com is in your list) sporting new product warning labels. It’s not gesture of good will – it’s the law – and retailers who fail to comply face serious fines.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was the toy safety legislation recently passed increase consumer protection and to require toy manufacturers to provide very specific product testing and warning labels on all products that target children as the end users. I bring this to your attention because you’ll now see the required warning labels on all products on our website that contain small parts that could pose a choking hazard, products that contain a marble, small ball or a balloon. Each area of concern has it’s own product warning label. Products that contain small parts (small enough to fit through a standard toilet paper tube) are required to carry this warning…
By Blog Editor Susan Wells
