We have lots of teacher friends in Texas, and our most recent stops in Dallas and San Antonio brought together almost 300 teachers from all walks of education. You might expect that these one-day science teacher workshops would be heavily dominated by upper elementary and middle school teachers, but it’s great to see an amazing turnout by early childhood teachers, informal science educators, and a handful of college professors. These Hands-on Science Boot Camps are a great opportunity for teachers to share ideas and teaching strategies that really work to get students more engaged and thinking more critically as they sharpen their science skills.
Thanks to a room filled with smart phones, there were lots of cell phone pictures to share from our event. Our rule is always… take out your phones and turn them on! Pictures are a great way to remember the activities that will eventually kind their way into your classroom. Thanks to everyone who turned out for our Texas 2010 visit!
We know that teachers are on a tight budget and with times as they are, school funding seems to be depleting faster and faster. But, we don’t want anyone to miss out on experiencing our 3-day science training, Science in the Rockies, so, until December 31st, 2009, we’re taking $100 off of your registration. Instead of $795, register by the end of the year at the special rate of $695. Plus, you’ll still receive over $300 worth of free science materials, 3-days of fast-paced teacher training unlike anything you’ve ever experienced and plenty of surprises thrown in. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up now and receive $100 off your registration for Science in the Rockies, July 7-9, 2010! Click here for more information.
Our Fall Boot Camp Tour kicked off September 23rd in Grand Rapids, MI, with a second stop just two days later in Chicago, IL… and it was a blast! What an enthusiastic group of teachers awaited us in both cities. I love the Windbag demonstration because who wouldn’t want to make a paying customer look silly up on stage? Our teacher volunteer was a great sport and we had a fun Windbag Challenge before discussing the properties of Bernoulli’s Principle. Our teachers picked up very quickly on my hex nut drop and didn’t even seem to mind the “music” created by the Screaming Balloons. It was a great day and an awesome opportunity to meet some of the amazing teachers who are bringing science to their classrooms.
Chicago was equally amazing… especially with our Egg Drop demonstration. I had a fun volunteer, who did a great job getting those eggs in the cups on the very first try!
Check out these videos of our Grand Rapids and Chicago Boot Camps to see what you’ve been missing. If you attended one of the workshops, I’d love to hear your
…
What happens when you put 150 teachers from 23 states and three countries in the same room for three days with a team of instructors who are over-the-top excited about teaching science? Enthusiasm for making science fun spreads like a virus. Concerns about test scores, curriculum changes or the ever-changing pressures of being a teacher seem to vanish. For three days, these teachers put their worries aside and focus on ways to bring wonder, discovery and exploration back into their classrooms.
Not all of the participants who come to Science in the Rockies start out loving science. Hilary Vanderveen admits she was a student who didn’t like science all that much, but this experience taught her how to avoid that attitude in her classroom. Vanderveen believes the key is raising the “I wonder factor” in her students’ minds as they approach various scientific questions.
To the untrained eye, it might look like teaching science is all fun and games, but there’s a serious side to all of this fun. Many of the participants at this year’s event shared the same fears and concerns that were raised even three
…
