by: Norman Barstow
When the National Research Council produced the National Science Standards in 1995, they did so without including sets of lesson plans nor did they design them as part of a standard curriculum package. They were written to be used as goals for our students’ achievement in science.
2 Comments | 
Elementary level, energy, experiments, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: ballons, compressed air, experiments, force and motion, manipulating variables, National Science Standards, phenomenon based learning, scientific method, STEM | 
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Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Ron Perkins
Whether teaching general science, chemistry or physics, one of the first experiments I assigned was to determine the density of a metal using a set of different sized cylinders of aluminum in a tray.
2 Comments | Chemistry, College level, density, experiments, High School level, Physics | Tagged: density, mass, mystery, volume | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Tami O’Connor
Although Robert Fulton is usually remembered as the inventor of the steamboat, it was actually John Fitch who built the first successful steamboat in 1787. Unfortunately, John Fitch ran into financial difficulties which opened the door for Robert Fulton to design and test the Clermont, which was the first commercially successful steamboat, in 1807. Since that time, there have been many improvements on the initial design, but the science behind the steamboat engine is fascinating.
Educational Innovations carries Putt Putt Steam Boats that are wonderful reproduction toys,
which can be used to teach many scientific principles. The science behind how they work is rather complex and often disputed. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | College level, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: phenomenon based learning, steamboats, STEM, thermodynamics | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Tami O’Connor
During my 16 years in the classroom, my students and I have accumulated a plethora of fond and one or two not-so-fond memories. One memory that still makes me cringe deals with the amount of time I spent traveling from one film-processing center to the next, in search of those perfect little containers I made such great use of within the walls of my science 
classroom. I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about…those little containers, which could be used for everything from conveniently and securely storing small amounts of solids or liquids to acting as the engine compartment of the well-known makeshift paper rocket.
Thanks to Bob Morse of St. Albans, we have found yet another use for those mini containers. In this short segment, Bob demonstrates how to construct a simple Leyden jar that is large enough to produce a nice spark, yet small enough to be perfectly safe, and best of all, durable enough to reuse over and over again! The only materials needed are a film can, a small strip of aluminum foil, a paper clip, a small section of PVC pipe, a cloth or piece of fur to rub on the pipe and a small amount of water.
In this age of digital cameras, 35mm film canisters are becoming a thing of the past. Educational Innovations can supply you with clean film canisters to use in your home or classroom. Check out the other activities we have for film canisters, and please feel free to share your own ideas with us.
2 Comments | College level, energy, experiments, High School level, Middle School level, Physics, static electricity | Tagged: Bob Morse, film canisters, leyden jar, St. Albans, static electricity | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by Ted Beyer
Here at Educational Innovations we always keep an eye out for that new science related story or gadget that might turn into a great product for teachers to use in their classroom. More often than not, if we do spot something, it turns up at the lunch table as a topic of conversation. Recently, I heard something on the radio that made me think that it was, perhaps, April 1, 2008 rather than late October.
This sure sounded like lunch conversation material, so I did a little research.
Leave a Comment » | College level, energy, High School level, Physics | Tagged: current events, x-rays | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
