You Said It! Thermal Energy Product Reviews


You Said It! Product Reviews - Educational Innovations NewsletterTo put it simply, we think thermal energy is cool!  Many of our best-selling discrepant event demos are related to thermal energy, as you’ll see from the reviews below.  With our Ice Melting Blocks, you can ask your students to predict which block will melt an ice cube more rapidly…  Use a Chemical Heat Pack to challenge your class to figure out how heat—usually associated with melting—can be produced by a reaction that turns a liquid into a solid…  Or dazzle them with Nitinol Memory Wire that changes shape upon heating!

If you have a favorite Educational Innovations product, send us a comment below.  We’d love to share your review with your fellow teachers and science lovers.

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Using Growing Spheres for 3D Modeling


Using Growing Spheres for 3D Modeling - Educational Innovations Blogby Jen Donaldson

In my classroom, I’ve devised two new uses for Growing Spheres which help students have a better grasp on some otherwise complicated science concepts.  

These small spheres are a wonderful way to make the invisible VISIBLE—in three dimensions!

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Inspiring Curiosity with the Atmospheric Mat


Electricity from Mud?! Educational Innovations Blogby Nancy Foote

A curiosity table.  That’s what I call it.  Whenever my students have a free minute (which rarely happens), I encourage them to investigate the materials on the curiosity table in our classroom.

Today I added something new—an Atmospheric Mat.

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Hydrophilic Polymers TV


EI TV - Educational Innovations BlogIf a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is surely worth a few million.  Especially when it comes to scientific explanations, a video is a wonderful tool for conveying information to your students in a visual, easy-to-follow manner.

The videos below offer you and your students a glimpse into the world of hydrophilic polymers—where they are today, what new discoveries we’ve made, and where we are headed in the future.

Enjoy!  If you find a video on hydrophilic polymers that you’d like to share with us, please leave a comment!

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Hydrophilic Polymers Lesson


Lesson - Educational Innovations BlogHydrophilic superabsorbent polymers are so much fun to use in the classroom.  Young and older students alike love working with Growing Spheres that expand by more than 300 times their original size.  And who doesn’t love an avalanche of Instant Snow?

We know that the best lessons are those that keep your students engaged in genuine, hands-on scientific exploration.  We believe that students learn more when they’re having FUN… and that’s precisely what happens when you bring any hydrophilic material into your classroom.

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