by: Tami O’Connor
After the birth of my youngest child I decided to get a teaching position at a school closer to home. Until that point, I had only taught in the elementary grades. As it turned out, a seventh grade science position had opened up in the middle school in the next town, and, shortly after I filed my application, I was called in for an interview. Because it was already early June when the opening occurred, things moved along rather quickly.
2 Comments | 
Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: air pressure, discrepant event, hands-on activity, microscale vacuum apparatus, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, science, vacuum jar | 
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Posted by Tami O'Connor
by Janice VanCleave
I love the magnetic accelerator. In fact, I met friends at a restaurant yesterday and took the accelerator with me. We had a lot of fun predicting what would happen and testing our predictions. No formal steps….just making cool guesses and then discovering whether we were correct.
Yes! The steel ball shot off the end of the track and hit the floor a couple of times, but that just added to the excitement. It’s a small town and few are surprised that the eccentric science author is experimenting at the restaurant–again!
A parent came in with her daughter, a second grader. With the mother’s permission I invited the child to sit with us. The girl had sinus problems and didn’t feel well. She was a bit sluggish and her eyes looked dull, as one would expect. When I asked the child if she wanted to do some science experiments, her dull eyes brightened. She had not been present during the previous testing of the accelerator, but she was immediately interested.
Leave a Comment » | College level, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, magnetism, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, science | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by Tami O’Connor
Many years ago at Educational Innovations we had heard rumors that our wonderful goldenrod paper that served as an easy to find indicator paper was being discontinued for environmental reasons. If you haven’t seen it before, it is was a golden-yellow paper that turned a deep red when it came in contact with a base like washing soda or Windex®. The process was reversed if an acid such as vinegar was sprayed on the paper.
13 Comments | Chemistry, Elementary level, experiments, Middle School level | Tagged: acid base indicator, goldenrod paper, homeschool, parent friendly, turmeric powder | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Tami O’Connor
When we see teachers at the many conventions we attend, one of the first questions they ask is, “What’s new at Educational Innovations?” We always have new and exciting products, in addition to the tried-and-true materials that we are well known for. This January, teachers and students will encounter more than 40 Super! Wow! Neat! science products at EI! Here’s a quick preview of a few.
The first is a classic demonstrative device that can be used to teach about air pressure and its effects. The product is called The Bernoulli Blaster. What is it that levitates the ping pong balls up and out of the clear tube? Physics teachers debate whether this apparatus provides an example of Bernoulli’s Principle or rather viscous drag. Wherever you come out on the issue, you can, depending on the age of your students, simply demonstrate a wonderful discrepant event or carry on the debate.
Educational Innovations is also introducing two new items to its line of solar products. One is a USB Solar Charger that students must assemble before they can use the power from the sun to charge their cell phones or tablets! This is a great project for science camps, clubs, or homeschoolers that requires only a basic understanding of electrical circuitry and solar energy. For younger students, we are introducing Solar Bug Bot Kits. In less than 20 minutes students can assemble and paint these jittery creatures powered by the sun.
In addition to our array of other green energy products, we now offer a new line of wind turbines. EI now carries PicoTurbine® and KidWind® products. The KidWind Basic Wind Experiment Kit is affordable and allows young scientists to test many variables that deal with wind power and energy. For your higher-level students, we also have the Advanced Wind Experiment Kit that gives students the opportunity to explore generator design, airfoils and gearboxes. Either kit will allow users to design and cut their own turbine blades so they can control the many variables associated with engineering the perfect wind turbine. We have also decided to carry blade consumables, so you can supply all of your classes with the materials they need to carry out all their creative ideas!
Speaking of variables, EI now has an Ultralight Car Kit that enables students to change both the mass and force of their car. By adding nickels to the pre-drilled slots, students can easily change the mass. By winding the rubber band that is connected to the axle, your students can vary the amount of force that is used to propel their car. What a great way to explore the effects of mass and force on the performance of their vehicle!
In addition to carrying the full line of OHAUS balances, EI has decided to also include the full line of Adam and A&D balances to give more options to the classroom teacher.
Since this is just a small sample, be sure to check out all our new products on our website: www.teachersource.com. And remember, we would never carry a product that we wouldn’t use in our own classrooms. Educational Innovations – Teachers Serving Teachers for more than 19 years!
Leave a Comment » | Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: homeschool, new products, science club activities | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Norm Barstow
When I was an Elementary Science Coordinator, I used to visit the five schools in my district and each year introduced the Pringles® Kaleidoscope as part of the Sound and Light unit. At that time I used microscope slides, and it became quite a challenge to have the students line up and tape nine slides to make the triangular prism. Fortunately, Educational Innovations began to carry Kaleidoscope Mirrors (SM-3), thus making the task much easier.
2 Comments | Elementary level, experiments, Middle School level | Tagged: homeschool, kaleidoscopes, light, mirrors, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, reflection, science, symmetry, triangular prism | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
