Tag - Science Magic

Magic or Science? Finally an Answer

No longer will I challenge the wisdom found on a t-shirt. What’s the difference between magic and science? Magic is just stuff science hasn’t made boring yet. You’ll find the shirt online at threadless.com

The Family Who Eats Fire Together Sticks Together – Growing Up in a Family of Magicians

Ladies and gentlemen… please welcome our magicians for this evening… the amazing Bruce and Kitty Spangler.
As a very young child, I can remember sitting backstage and hearing these words as the orchestra began to play and my parents took center stage. I’ve often talked about my love for the art of magic, but few people know that I grew up in a family of professional magicians. When you live in a family of magicians, seeing your Mom float or get sawed in half is really nothing out of the ordinary. I remember taking my Dad to show-and-tell when I was in kindergarten. What did he do? My Dad pulled a torch out of his bag of tricks and ate fire for my entire class. Let’s just say that when your Dad eats fire for show-and-tell, it’s kind of a show stopper.

I recently introduced 9News reporter Kim Christiansen and photo journalist Eric Kehe to my parents, Bruce and Kitty Spangler, for a behind the scenes look at a special art that is being passed down through three generations.

Watch the video

Magicians Meet in Fort Collins to Share Secrets

The words pick a card must have been uttered a thousand times last weekend at the Marriott in Fort Collins as a few hundred magicians gathered to advance their craft. The 15th Annual Magic in the Rockies conference was a huge success by all accounts… and I had a blast. I’ve written about my involvement with magic in the past and even did the proud Dad thing by showing video of my kids performing their first magic routines on stage. I grew up in a family of magicians, so I’ve been to dozens and dozens of magicians conventions. I always come away from these experiences excited about the art and hopeful that young people will continue to show interest. The video below will give you a brief glimpse of what happened for three solid days at Magic in the Rockies.

A Science Lesson from SONIC Drive-In

Now you can eat a burger, drink a limeade and enjoy some cool science experiments from Steve Spangler Science at your local SONIC® America’s Drive-In®. We’re excited to announce the release of six books that we wrote for Sonic as part of their Wacky Pack® kid’s meal. The six book series are called Science Sliders because each page has a section that slides out to reveal another cool science secret. It will take you a minute to try to figure out how the colors appear… pretty cool.

Each book shares a different science theme: Air-Mazing Science, Science Magic, Sounds of Science, Optical Illusions, Light and Color and Backyard Science. The experiments are easy to conduct at home and may even use supplies that are found in your bag like ketchup, salt, napkins, fries… even the bag itself.

“SONIC is delighted to partner with Steve Spangler Science as part of our Accent on Education program,” said Tamara Stanley, director of segment marketing for SONIC® Drive-In®. “At SONIC, we blend fun with education by including interactive educational toys in our Wacky Pack kids’ meal. The Science Sliders books are
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Mad About Science Magic

Should magic tricks be used as a way to teach science in today’s classrooms? This question and about a dozen more were asked of me during an interview for an international magazine for the Society of American Magicians. The author of the article, Lindsay Smith, wanted to know my thoughts on a current trend in science assemblies and before-and-after school science classes being offered in many elementary schools throughout the U.S. The issue for magicians is one of exposure – teachers or science demonstrators who are exposing secrets of magic in an attempt to teach science.

What are your thoughts on this? You can read an excerpt from the interview that appeared in the September issue of M-U-M by clicking on the “more” link below. Should science demonstrators / teachers use tricks from a magic shop to teach science?