Ann Bridgewater, a teacher who traveled to Denver all the way from Hong Kong to attend Science in the Rockies this year, shared a very cool project with us. She uses UV Color Changing Beads to craft Mixed Up Chameleons for a little craft/science/literacy lesson all rolled into one.
Ann weaves embroidery thread in and around the beads to make a chameleon shape. (You can Google this if you need a pattern.) She used black pony beads for the nose, eyes, and feet. Then she reads The Mixed Up Chameleon by Eric Carle. Her students then take their chameleons out into the sunlight to detect UV rays with their beads. The once white and black chameleon is now colorfully mixed up.
What a fun idea to bring a character to life while mixing a little science and literacy.
As the summer begins to wind down, parents begin to trek to the stores with supply lists in hand and the summer learning break turns to talk about our education system.
What do teachers do over their summer break? Some take to the classroom to do a little learning themselves. Some of the best of the best travel to Denver for Science in the Rockies, a 3-day hands-on science class taught to teachers by our very own Steve Spangler.
Over 100 teachers from across the country (and a few from across the globe) came to learn how to squeeze a little science, a little laughter and a little engagement into their classrooms this next school year.
As testing pressures increase, budgets shrink and class sizes grow, how do teachers motivate and cultivate learning and thinking inside and out of their classroom?
Preschool is all about hands-on learning – tactiles, imaginative play, color mixing and science centers. But what happens when they trek off to elementary school?
At our elementary school, science and social studies rotate. Two weeks for science, while social studies take a break, then
Twenty-one Boy Scouts from the Mesa, Arizona area recently came together to earn a Merit Badge in Nuclear Science. Yes, Nuclear Science.
This lesson wasn’t as easy as it sounds.
The scouts built electroscopes and cloud chambers to earn their badge.
They also had to learn about radiation, radiation hazards, radiation safety; define terms like “atom,” “gamma ray,” & “beta particle;” construct a 3-D model of an element from the periodic table; and discuss modern particle physics and how nuclear energy is used to make electricity. That’s just the first four bullet points in the checklist of requirements.
Here’s one of the bullet points from the checklist –
Using a radiation survey meter and a radioactive source, show how the counts per minute change as the source gets closer to or farther from the radiation detector. Place three different materials between the source and the detector, then explain any differences in the measurements per minute. Explain how time, distance, and shielding can reduce an individual’s radiation dose.
The producers of the NBC show, Minute to Win It, have called our offices with questions about some of our science tricks that they’ve seen on our weekly appearances on Denver NBC affiliate, 9News. Some of our science experiments like Egg Drop and Tornado Tubes have made it on the show. Here are a few more table tricks and stunts for the producers to use in upcoming episodes -
Independence Day is the absolute best of summer – picnics, barbecue, fireworks and family fun. Are you looking for something to keep everyone entertained during your 4th of July summer picnic? We have some suggestions for summer learning fun…Fourth of July celebrations.
Before you watch the rockets red glare, how about firing off some of your own rockets, making your own ice cream and designing your own light show? Here are some of our recommendations to make your 4th of July barbecue sizzle.
