By Priscilla Robinson
Snowflakes! They arrive in flurries, storms and blizzards, not to mention “Winter Bomb Cyclones!” I’ve always thought the science behind snowflakes is amazing.
A snowflake begins when a tiny dust or pollen particle comes into contact with water vapor high up in Earth’s atmosphere. The water vapor coats the tiny particle and then freezes into a tiny crystal of ice. This tiny crystal will be the “seed” from which a snowflake will grow. The process is called crystallization.
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Chemistry, College level, Earth Science, Elementary level, Middle School level | Tagged: Chemistry, crystals, DIY, Educational Innovations, fun experiments, hands-on activity, parent friendly, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, science, scientifically accurate snowflakes, snow, snow and ice polymer, snowflakes, variables | 
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is a curriculum driven by problem solving, exploration, and discovery while incorporating technology and engineering into the teaching of science and mathematics.
Educational Innovations carries a number of products that fit perfectly into the STEM classroom. These materials promote exploratory learning, and require students to actively engage themselves to discover the solution to the situation or problem at hand.
If you have a favorite STEM experiment or product, please let us know in the comments section below!
1 Comment | astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, College level, density, Earth Science, electricity, Elementary level, experiments, forensic science, High School level, life science, magnetism, Middle School level, Physics, STEM, uncategorized | Tagged: awesome science experiment, DIY, Educational Innovations, electricity, energy, experiments, force and motion, fun experiments, hands-on activity, hands-on science, homeschool, kinetic energy, light, newton, Newton's First Law, Newton's Second Law, Newton's Third Law, parent friendly, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, Physics, physics demonstration apparatus, science, STEM | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
Looking for a STEM lesson? With all the free lessons available online, it’s not easy to determine which ones are worth your time. Unless you spend hours in front of your computer, how can you tell if the lesson is designed by a credible, experienced educator? Never fear! We’ve found some of the best free STEM lesson sources.
Please let us know in the comments section below if you find other worthwhile STEM lessons online. Enjoy!
Leave a Comment » | College level, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level, STEM | Tagged: awesome science experiment, DIY, Educational Innovations, friction, fun experiments, homeschool, kinetic energy, parent friendly, phenomenon based learning, potential energy, science, STEM | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
by Priscilla Robinson
Spring in the Pacific Northwest comes with a fanfare of germinating seeds, blossoming flowers, and budding trees. As a science educator, I like to jump on Mother Nature’s bandwagon to bring this burst of plant life into my classroom. What your students see every day can bloom into teachable moments. These learning ideas will help you make the most out of the magic and science of spring.
Leave a Comment » | Biology, Earth Science, Elementary level, experiments, life science, Middle School level | Tagged: DIY, Educational Innovations, fun experiments, gardening, gardening for kids, green science, hands-on activity, homeschool, hydroponics, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, polymer crystals, science, seeds, summer science, variables | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
By Cathy Byrne
Virtually all fourth grade students explore electricity and magnetism. As part of this unit, students are asked to do two things:
1 – Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents (4-PS3-2)
2 – Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another (4-PS3-4).
This year, the teachers at my school put a new twist on our electricity and magnetism unit… and the results were amazing!
Leave a Comment » | electricity, Elementary level, experiments, magnetism, Middle School level, STEM | Tagged: DIY, Educational Innovations, electrical circuits, electricity, energy, experiments, fun experiments, hands-on activity, homeschool, light, magnetism, parent friendly, PBL, PhBL, PhenoBL, phenomenon based learning, science, science fair project, STEM, variables | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
