I wish I had been introduced to physics at a young age in a way that made it fun. I learned physics, painfully, in high school and struggled through pre-med physics in college. I never got an intuitive sense of physics and my impression was that it was a formula to be memorized and calculated. Read more…
It’s interesting that we view Johnny Appleseed as an American hero bringing apples to the people. Did you think Johnny Appleseed went around planting Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Rome apples? I did. Read more…
Science oriented kids need two things: to ask questions and to find answers. These toys let kids do both in the guise of games or experiments. Science in school is often too memorization-oriented and I think letting kids get their hands dirty is crucial to making science interesting, particularly for girls. Read more…
The idea of using rock and roll to teach science appeals to me. I’m not sure how it would go over for Middle School. Will songs about math make math fun? Is it a way to so that math is fun? It seems like it would be a fun way to learn Newton’s laws of physics. And, if a band came to school to perform, wouldn’t that be a nice change of pace? Read more…
Another email from my nearly 90-year-old mom with this video of a baby elephant taking a mud bath. That she’s on YouTube is amazing! I’m posting a bunch of her emails; the pollination video was from her. Read more…
My mom sent me that pollination video and I got some great feedback that everyone liked it. So here’s another post via my mom who is nearly 90-years-old! Kudos to her for being active online and sending me great stuff to post! I think she reads my blog too! Read more…
Club Invention is a day camp for kids, boys and girls, and my 7-old-son did it for one week with two friends. They do a two-week stint in Newton, with various stops in other towns in our area, mostly in New England. This is science that you don’t get in school. What exactly is Club Invention? I had no idea from what my son told me every day after school. Even from the extensive newsletters that I received daily, I still was pretty unclear about what they did. In my mind, it had something to do with legos. Read more…
My mom sent me this gorgeous video of the wonders of pollination. We try to plant a garden every spring that attracts butterflies but I miss the hummingbirds that used to visit my garden in California. I think there are hummingbirds in New England, but I haven’t seen any in my garden yet. I probably need a hummingbird feeder though. Read more…
My 7-year-old son played with this toy with a 5th grade boy while we are at a dinner party together. They came back every ten minutes to show us the circuit boards they made. Some had light bulbs lit up. Others made noise. Still others were connected through a cup of water. The parents who hosted us said that this toy won Science Toy of the Year and that their kids played with it intensely for a few days. Read more…
