Tag - science experiment

Coca-Cola Company is “Blase” About the Mentos Experiment

The recent article in the Wall Street Journal reported that the marketing gurus at the Coca-Cola Company are not all that excited about the pop culture phenomenon. “It’s an entertaining phenomenon,” said Coke spokeswoman Susan McDermott. “We would hope people want to drink (Diet Coke) more than try experiments with it.” According to the article, Coke could use some extra buzz right now. Sales volume of Diet Coke in the U.S. was essentially flat last year, as consumers switch from diet sodas to bottled water and other noncarbonated drinks. But McDermott says that the “craziness with Mentos … doesn’t fit with the brand personality” of Diet Coke.

If the truth be known, both Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke work much better than generic sodas. In the original video posted on 9News.com, both name brand diet sodas were used just so we wouldn’t get in trouble by favoring one over the other. But when VH1 included the video on the second episode of Web Junk 20, the bloggers started calling it the “Diet Coke-Mentos Experiment”.

When the tie dyed lab coat comes out, it’s time for science

You’re in for a treat today, because I’m posting my very first podcast interview.

Listen in on my discussion with Julie Gintzler, kindergarten teacher extraordinaire and instructor at the Hands-on Science Boot Camp as she shares one of her secrets to teaching science.

Julie doesn’t do diagrams on the board or long dissertations. Her secret is her lab coat. After 18 years of teaching, Julie has finally found something that sparks the kids’ imagination right off. The first time she introduces a science experiment, she wears her tie dyed lab coat. From it she pulls out a gem of the day. It might be a test tube. It might be a magnifying glass. It’s a great way to introduce the tools in a fun and exciting way. The kids know the minute her lab coat goes on, science is just around the corner.

Most lab coats are white. One of my teachers in high school had one with burns all over it. Julie tried a plain white one and the kids were frightened. They thought “doctor”? or “nurse”?. So Julie’s is tie dyed from head to toe in primary colors.

Not only is it a cue that it is time to
…

Active things parents can do to help kids learn science

It doesn’t all rest in the hands of the teacher. If you are a parent there are some active things you can do to help your kids prepare for a lifetime of science or inquiry. Help by reinforcing what your teacher is doing in class.

When your son or daughter comes home after doing a science experiment and it gets to the dinner table, it must be good. Instead of saying “I know that”? when your son or daughter says “Do you know that an orange will float, but if you peel an orange it will sink”? try saying “That is not true! An orange won’t float! That’s impossible!”?

Your child will beam from ear to ear because they have got something on you.

In other words, allow your son or daughter to own the discovery. It is one of the most motivating things you can do to reinforce what the teacher is teaching in the classroom. Act surprised and you will be amazed.

Listen to my podcast on active things parents can do to help kids learn science

(File size is 1.5 MB) (Show length 3 minutes 9 seconds)

Science in a Microwave Oven

The words “science experiment” and “microwave oven” don’t necessarily go hand in hand… unless you’re trying to do something amazing. As I was preparing for my Monday morning science segment on , I remembered an experiment using a bar of Ivory Soap (you know… the soap that floats) and a microwave oven. It’s the great Soap Cloud experiment where a bar of soap grows to an enormous size when you cook it in the microwave. Actually, you get a 2 for 1 experiment here because in order to understand how the growing soap trick works, you need to know that Ivory Soap is the “soap that floats”. Hmmm, floating soap, tiny pockets of air and heat sound like the perfect combo to me!

If you have Windows Media Player, take a look at the Soap in the Microwave Video.

And remember the science experimenter’s oath: Never do things like this at home… do them at a friend’s home.

It’s Great to be Stupid

This morning, television viewers of Good Morning America learned how to make snow in their living room with our very own Insta-Snow. Each month Good Morning America highlights “Stupid Products” from the stupid.com website, and I’m pleased to say one of my creations was one of the lucky few featured on the segment. I’m so proud… it’s almost like winning the Nobel Prize!

“This product isn’t stupid… my kids would love it!”
- Good Morning America co-anchor (what’s his name??)