Sisters Keira and Shaylie are student scientists with a real knack for chemistry. They live in Bend, Oregon and along with friend Caroline, have turned a bathroom in their home as well as a playroom into science labs.
We had the pleasure of learning about these exceptional girls around the holidays. They had a regular Christmas wish list and a second, Steve Spangler Science wish list. After watching some of their experiment videos and hearing about their scientific discoveries in their homemade lab, in their driveway and in the dark, we had to share their amazing talent and zest for learning.
Keira, 12, is described by her dad as a “very studious child.” She was placed in a TAG (Talented and Gifted) program by her kindergarten teacher. Over the years, science has become her favorite subject. Her best friend Caroline, 11, helps with the science activities.
Sister Shaylie, 9, is more of an inventor and sometimes the assistant when the girls perform experiments in their lab.
Keira says she and Caroline really got into science in 5th grade when their class took a field trip to a local
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Becky Ditchfield never wants to know what we’re doing for our Science Mondays segment on KUSA-TV 9News. This was our last segment of the year and I wanted to make it one for her to remember. I pulled out an old favorite from the Spangler repertoire, but it was new to Becky. In anticipation of your next question, here’s the disappearing ink recipe.
Are you looking for a fun indoor activity that uses both creativity and science? Make these beautiful Crystal Snowflakes to decorate your tree using a little kitchen science.
Using a pair of scissors, cut a pipe cleaner into three equal sections.
Twist the three pipe cleaner sections together at their centers to form a six-sided snowflake. Don’t stress if the sides aren’t perfectly even, little imperfections make it beautiful.
Make sure that the shape can fit through the mouth of the wide-mouthed jar without having to squeeze through. If it can’t, trim the sides down.
Cut a 4″ length of string to one side of the snowflake. Tie the other end of the string to a pencil. You want the length of your string to be enough that the snowflake hangs into the jar but doesn’t touch the bottom. Once you have your length set, remove
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,
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“The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) is a worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind.”
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is the oldest of global scientific unions. It decided it was time to celebrate the achievements in chemistry and developed the International Year of Chemistry. In 2008, The United Nations proclaimed 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry. It’s a global effort to highlight achievements in chemistry and encourage participation in on-going activities throughout the year. Students and teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in a worldwide experiment and share their results.
Why should we celebrate chemistry? With their typical humility, chemists will tell you that there is nothing in the world that does not involve chemistry. All known matter – gas, liquid and solid – is composed of the chemical elements or of compounds made from those elements. Humankind’s understanding of the material nature of our world is grounded in our knowledge of chemistry. Indeed, all
By Blog Editor Susan Wells
