Tag - Science Museum Oklahoma

November 18, 2009

Who Needs Hands-on Science When You Can Have Bodies on Science

bed-of-nails-NAEYCWe’re calling it a full body on science experience with our Bed of Nails demo at the NAEYC annual conference in Washington D.C. Teachers from all over the country (actually the world) come to NAEYC to learn the latest strategies and methods to get children excited and motivated to learn… especially when it comes to science. Our science island (as it was called) in the exhibit hall featured more than 50 cool science toys and hands-on science activities teachers could share with their children. This year we wanted to share something special with the teachers… something they would remember for years to come. Let’s turn hands-on science into a full body experience using the coolest Bed of Nails demonstration we’ve ever seen.

We want to thank Sherry Marshall from the Science Museum Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Museum Network for allowing us to share their motorized Bed of Nails demonstration with the participants at the NAEYC 2009 annual conference.

I first fell in love with this Bed of Nails when the producers at the Ellen DeGeneres Show asked me to find a safe way for Ellen to do

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February 3, 2009

Teachers Share Unexpected Insights at the Oklahoma Science Boot Camp

oklahoma4One of the benefits of traveling around the country with our Science Boot Camp Tour is getting to talk with teachers and learn from their insights. The Science Museum Oklahoma hosted a one-day workshop for area teachers and the response was great. I’ve invited participants to share some of their take-home ideas and ways they’re using the content from the workshop in their classroom (although it’s only been a few weeks).

I also heard two comments that I thought were interesting. One of the content areas we talk about in the workshop is the importance of recycling as it applies to soda bottles. A teacher commented that she hosted a group of foreign exchange students over the summer and was surprised to hear them comment about the size of our trashcans. Out of all of their experiences in the U.S. over the summer, they were amazed by the volume of trash Americans produce on a weekly basis. Enough said.

The second comment came from a pre-service teacher who shared this… “I was taught to use science as something the kids got to do at the end of the week… if

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