October 1, 2021
As anyone in the culinary world will tell you, presentation is everything. World famous restaurants with multiple Michelin stars put as much effort into presentation as they do in preparing the food.
Science teachers could learn something from chefs. I’m not talking about adding flashy multimedia and explosions. The goal isn’t to entertain… but to take a few extra steps that will help our students stay involved. How do we do that?
A great place to start is integration. Science teachers think about science. What if we begin to think of ways to bring in social studies, reading, writing, and math to help with the presentation of our science lessons? What if a meaningful project could allow students to apply their new learning in myriad areas? Let me give you an example.
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density, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, STEM | Tagged: buoyancy, density, DIY, Educational Innovations, force, homeschooling, science, STEM | 
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
December 22, 2020
It’s a scene you don’t often see in a science class: 13- and 14-year-olds flailing their arms about wildly like crazy aliens. It’s only Day One of the activity and they’re hooked by the goofiness allowed. That’s just one of the reasons why I look forward to my Alien Fluids unit every year. It also really sharpens students’ investigative skills and calls on them to think critically and logically.
But how was I to conduct this days-long experimentation activity remotely this year?
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
October 9, 2020
Who doesn’t love things that glow? Around this time every year, we get a lot of questions about how to make various objects glow in the dark. Which products will glow longest? Which are best for mixing with liquids? How do they work? Fear not! The answers are here.
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
August 28, 2020
I studied Spanish from kindergarten through college. Used to be, I could speak and write fairly fluently. These days I’m a bit rusty but—like the old saying about getting back on a bicycle—the skill does come back with a bit of practice.
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
August 14, 2020
Making bioplastics is a fantastic experiment to try at home or in the classroom. It’s a fun, hands-on way to learn about bioplastic alternatives that are environmentally safer for our planet than traditional plastics. Creating a bioplastic keepsake is likely to inspire further investigations and, in some cases, even future careers for young scientists! Plus, they’re gorgeous!
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3 Comments | Chemistry, College level, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, science fair | Tagged: bioplastics, DIY, Educational Innovations, fun experiments, science crafts | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
