Everything science is found here from science activities for school and home use to lesson plans and blogs about the state of science in education today.
A good science education is not limited to the wall’s of your child’s school. There is a lot you can do as a parent to foster your child’s interest in science and encourage success in the classroom. Supportive parents are an essential component to successful students, especially when it comes to math and science.
As we grow to rely more on technology every day, the importance of science education becomes more evident. However, the role of technology in our lives is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the importance of a good science education. The more your child knows about science, the better he or she will be able to succeed in a changing world.
Recipient of the 2010 Toy of the Year award from Creative Child Magazine and featured on the Today Show, the HexBug Nano offers many ways to learn about the science of vibration. It is a tiny, collectible, micro robotic creature that propels forward and explores its environment using vibration. Powered by a tiny motor and 12 fixed, angular legs, the HexBug navigates through a maze and even balances. The robot bug acts like a real bug. Should it fall over, it rights itself and continues to zoom forward. When an object blocks its forward momentum, it scurries away and finds [...]
My seven year old son Ben has been passionate about Legos since he was 5. He attends a weekly lego club, collects lego magazines, keeps every box and every manual. His room looks like a shrine to legos – lego sets occupy every piece of available space that is off the floor. He enjoys the precision required to follow steps and building a final product truly excites him. Yet for no particular reason his enthusiasm seems to have waned these past few months. The lego phase is sadly nearing an end. He seems ready to move on. In my quest to inspire Ben [...]
I reviewed Snap Circuits several months ago and talked about its fun and educational value for my seven year old son. Recently Elenco Electronics, makers of the original Snap Circuits came out with Snap Circuits Green, winner of the Dr.Toy Award for Best Green Product. Snap Circuits Green teachers kids how to use environmentally friendly energy sources, including Hydro Power, Wind Power, Solar Power, Mechanical Energy, Geothermal Energy, Nuclear Energy, Chemical Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. What the Snap Circuits Green Kit Includes Snap Circuits Green includes an instruction manual containing 129 projects. Recommended age group is 8-108. Similar to [...]
There seems to be some controversy raging over the use of so-called ‘presentation software’ such as Microsoft’s PowerPoint and others. In 2003, National Public Radio estimated that there were approximately 10 million computers in primary and secondary schools equipped with Microsoft’s PowerPoint software. With the advent of competing software and open source products such as Open Office project from Sun Microsystems, that offer presentation software for free to anyone who wants to use it, the number of students with access to such tools has exploded. Such tools are available to almost anyone who wants them, but are they good for our [...]
Teaching physics concepts is a challenge in today’s classroom. How can a teacher present the majesty of physics in an era of decreasing budgets and often inadequate space? All too often, schools and teachers despair of providing legitimate, hands-on laboratory experiences for students because equipment is large and expensive, especially when teaching Newtonian concepts like forces, action-reaction, and statics. This need not be the case. I created a laboratory lesson plan that can make these concepts come alive in your classroom for a cost of just pennies per student (literally!) Below is a written description of the lesson plan. The full lesson plan [...]
In the time of the iPhone, tablet computers and shrinking portable music players, science and technology in the classroom have gone into overdrive. Schools are now requiring students, as young as elementary-age, to have laptops in the classroom. What will these newer, high-tech changes mean for your classroom and how can you make them better? Computers The access to computers in the classroom has been increasing for the past decade. But, have they really helped? “Some educators claim that ready access to computers and increased use of computers in K-12 education has a beneficial effect on educational outcomes. In the [...]
