The Plasma Globe, Inside and Out


Ted Beyer, Educational Innovationsby Ted Beyer

Nikola Tesla.  Amazing guy.  He came up with a huge number of inventions, but outside the scientific community he is largely overshadowed by his better known contemporary, Thomas Edison.  Tesla developed a stream of innovations that we use every day—things like AC power, fluorescent lighting, on and on.

What you might not know is that Tesla, when working on electric light in February of 1894, came up with the concept for what we now call the Plasma Globe.

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Electricity from Mud?! Introducing the MudWatt Kit


Electricity from Mud?! Educational Innovations BlogBy Nancy Foote

When a little kid comes up to you and asks you do science, it’s hard to say no.  But when you’re a science teacher, and that little kid is your granddaughter, you know you have to come up with something fast.

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Is Hydropower a Renewable Energy Source?


Roy Bentley, Educational InnovationsBy Roy Bentley and Ken Crawford

There are so many things happening in the world of energy these days.  One only needs to watch the news or Google the word “energy” to find myriad examples and discussions of pipelines, carbon footprints, windmills, climate change and more.

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Green Science Humor


Science Humor - Educational Innovations NewsletterWhy not insert a bit of green science humor into your next quiz or homework page?  Extra points for students who guess the right answers to our riddles!

You might also get a jolt from our Electricity humor page, from a previous issue of our newsletter.

If you have a favorite cartoon or joke, we invite you to share it as a comment below.

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Green Science Discussion Starters


Discussion Starters - Educational Innovations NewsletterWind power… solar power… hydropower… power from biomass… There’s so much to say about these renewable energy sources and their growing importance in our lives.  Time spent teaching young minds about green science is invaluable—we are helping them to understand and participate in their own futures as inhabitants of our planet!

Even the smallest scientists will understand that the sun and wind can be made to “do work” and produce energy.  This topic is so much fun to explore, we hope you’ll share your own favorite discussion starters with us in the comments below!

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