Tag - Boo Bubbles

Staff Spotlight on Copy Editor Debbie Leibold

Q: Tell us a little about who you are…
A: Let’s see… I’m definitely not a scientist, I’m not in a band, I’m not an ultra-creative graphic designer, I’m not on Ellen, I haven’t been featured on YouTube, I rarely blow things up.  My life is pretty boring compared to some of the people I work with.

I’m a mom, wife, dog walker, former high school English teacher, volunteer, taxi driver, sports fan (especially my kids’ sports), non-profit fund raiser, Duke grad, music lover, golfer, and avid reader. I have lived in Colorado most of my life and am passionate about education and the outdoors. I serve as a Trustee on a non-profit Board (the John Austin Cheley Foundation) that raises money to provide summer camp experiences for kids around the country.

Q: What do you do at Steve Spangler Science?
A: I edit Steve’s awesome books, specifically Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes and Fire Bubbles and Exploding Toothpaste.  I also review the catalog before it goes to print and many of the …

Teacher Spotlight on Karen Puracan – A Science Teacher Who Gets It Home to the Dinner Table

Karen Puracan is a science teacher at Hale Academy in Ocala, Florida. The school is a small private school with grades PreK-12th. Mrs. Puracan teaches 8th grade integrated science, 6th and 7th grade life science, 8th through 10th grade physical science and high school biology and ecology. To say she teaches a little of everything is an understatement.

Class sizes are small. Her largest class has only 11 and the smallest classes have only three students. This gives Mrs. Puracan the opportunity to really get to know each student and engage them one-on-one – something most teachers today are unable to do. This also allows time to play or “investigate” as Mrs. Puracan calls it with science.

“Since we are a private school, we have the freedom to take our time exploring things in more depth, without worrying about the test,” Mrs. Puracan explains.

Last year, Mrs. Puracan was a physical science “greenhorn” and stuck to the book. She quickly found the book was boring for both herself and her students.

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Dr. Science Mom Lights Up the Lab with After School Learning

Karen Engates, otherwise known as Dr. Science Mom, runs a science camp after school program in Texas. She is a mother with a Ph.D.

She mainly works with grades kindergarten to third, exploring science. In Texas, grades 4 and 5 have regular science time during the week to prepare for state tests. The younger grades do not have a required weekly science time.

Karen does her best to get the kids excited about science, “I try to do my part to get them motivated, learn a few skills using lab equipment, and show them that having fun in science is possible.”

One of her recent science camps was the messiest lab ever with Skewer Through the Balloon, Alka-Seltzer Rockets, Wind Bags, Exploding Corn and a Genie in a Bottle.

Her second graders really enjoyed the Taco Sauce Penny Cleaner experiment and wondered “if taco sauce cleans pennies, just think what it could do for your teeth!”

Maybe they’re on to a new product – Taco Sauce Toothpaste – it’s not so minty.

She also
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