Sound and Waves Discussion Starters


Sound and Waves Discussion Starters - Educational Innovations NewsletterIf a tree falls in a forest and there’s no one to hear it, will it still make a sound?  This is an old question, but what’s the answer?  Sound can be a difficult concept to portray because the waves cannot easily be seen or touched.  What is sound, and why do we care about it?  There is plenty of vocabulary associated with sound waves, including frequency, amplitude, longitudinal waves, transverse waves… the list goes on.  So how do you introduce and teach this topic?  We scoured the Internet for great ideas.  Hope you enjoy them!

If you have other ideas or websites you’d like to share, please write to us in the Comments section below. Read the rest of this entry »


You Said It! Sound and Waves Product Reviews


Sound and Waves Product Reviews - Educational Innovations NewsletterWe know that teachers are always looking for new ways to demonstrate sound and waves in their classroom.  How do you teach something you can’t see or touch?  We have some great ideas.

Read on to hear what our customers are saying about some of their favorite EI sound and waves teaching tools.  If you have a favorite Educational Innovations product, we invite you to send us a comment below.  We’d love to share your review with your fellow teachers and science lovers.

Read the rest of this entry »


Spouting Off in the Classroom


Ted Beyer, Educational InnovationsThe Chinese Spouting Bowl

by Ted Beyer

When we are at one of the many educational shows we attend each year, teachers often ask what our favorite products are. I always point at two items – our eddy current materials (here’s that post!) and The Chinese Spouting Bowl. When I mention the bowl, invariably I hear – “yeah, I have seen that in the catalog – does it really work?” The simple answer is yes, yes it does. It not only works, it is amazing to see work, not that hard to make work, and most importantly, it can also be a powerful teaching tool. In fact, the Chinese Spouting Bowl is an ancient and fascinating object that can bring many different science scientific principals into the classroom in an unexpected way.Spouting Bowl

Read the rest of this entry »


Talking Tapes | When You Want Your Students To Make Noise!


Tami O'Connor, Educational Innovationsby: Tami O’Connor

On a field trip with my 5th grade students to a local science museum, we saw one of the science instructors conduct a lesson on sound. It was such a simple idea, with easy-to-find materials, that I brought it home to do with my Girl Scout troop the following week.  Since then, I have modified and expanded the lesson so it would fit any elementary or middle school grade lesson plan on sound.

Read the rest of this entry »