Steve makes his 12th appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show as Ellen’s Science Guy. The show airs today, so check local listings for exact times (it airs at 3pm in Denver on Channel 9) or click the link below to watch a sneak preview of the segment on the Ellen Show’s website.
Steve showed Ellen how to release the sugar energy in gummy bear candy (you will be surprised at how much energy there is in a gummy bear). He also demonstrated the clean burning power of ethanol and then turned an audience member into a human conductor of electricity.
Ellen helped Steve celebrate the launch of his second book, Fire Bubbles and Exploding Toothpaste. Ellen encouraged Steve to share his experiments in a book and she appears in it. She gave each audience member a copy of the book. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is giving away a copy of Steve’s book – visit their website to enter the Fire Bubbles and Exploding Toothpaste giveaway.
This was not your usual book signing. The Tattered Cover is used to authors quietly reading from their book before a signing. They weren’t ready for Steve Spangler and his Science Crew.
Steve brought along several members of his staff who helped perform demos and entertain while people waited in line for Steve’s autograph.
Guests were greeted in the parking lot with Steve’s signature experiment – Mentos and Diet Coke geysers. Steve began the Internet sensation in 2005 on the NBC affiliate in Denver when he soaked news anchor Kim Christiansen. Some lucky bystanders pulled the cords and ran away from the sticky spray. This obviously had to be done in the parking lot – soda and books do NOT mix.
When the phone rings, we never know quite what to expect. The phone rang and on the other end was a senior producer at the Ellen Show (you know… Ellen DeGeneres). It seems that this producer had been watching a few of our science videos and wanted to know if Ellen would have fun making huge clouds with liquid nitrogen, shooting potatoes, whipping up a batch of slime or learning how to make toilet paper fly. My response was “yes” to all of the above. But maybe it’s best if you help us decide which science experiments would be most fun to do with Ellen. Of course, the goal of the segment is to show parents how to make learning fun… and what could be more fun than 50 gallons of Insta-Snow erupting on the set?
Now this doesn’t mean that I’m automatically on the show… they’re just interested. So, what cool science demos should I pitch to the producers at the Ellen Show?
The dates for Science in the Rockies are etched in stone. Mark your calendar for August 3-5, 2006 (that’s Thursday through Sunday) in Denver, Colorado for another year of bubble blowing, slime-making, potato launching fun… educationally speaking, of course. Last year we had 99 teachers who attended our summer workshop and a small handful were brave enough to do a few science demos on live television at 6:30 AM. Watch the video and read teacher comments from 2005.
How to be amazing teacher? Try this! Get organized. The hardest thing is to take all the ideas we learn at conferences, workshops and seminars and put them to use.
Don’t put science demonstrations in a closed box – because they will stay there. Throw the lid away, so you constantly have to look at those materials. If they are staring you in the face, you are more likely to build them into your curriculum.
Once you get organized, you start using your resources better. And you will be a more effective science teacher with those tools right at your fingertips.
When the phone rings, we never know quite what to expect. The phone rang and on the other end was a senior producer at the 
The dates for 
