Custom Kits R Us!


Donna Giachetti, Educational Innovations

By Donna Giachetti

It all started with a promotional email: Let Us Build Your Custom Science Kits.  When we sent this to our subscribers, we hoped for a positive response, but we could not have guessed HOW excited our customers would be.  It wasn’t long before our phones started ringing.  Eager voices asked us if we could build kits on germ transmission…  engineering…   virology… light diffraction…

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Blown Away with Databot at ISTA!


By Robert O. Grover

Not too long ago, we traveled to North Idaho and the beautiful town of Coeur d’Alene where the annual Idaho Science Teachers Association (ISTA) was holding the great Idaho STEM Together!  Over 300 educators and STEM enthusiasts showed up to partake in activities, professional development sessions, and field trips.  Of course Team databot was there!

As advertised, we held a competition to see who could deliver the highest CO2 level possible.  The prize for the highest level?  A complete databot kit! Read the rest of this entry »


Sound and Waves TV


Sound and Waves TV - Educational Innovations Blog

Most of us know what a sound is… but what’s the science behind it?  And what can you do with sound (besides listen to it)?  Plenty!  We’ve selected some fascinating videos that explore the science of sound and waves.  One of the most fascinating things about these videos is that they demonstrate how many unexpected ways we use sound—in our daily lives, in the lab, and beyond.

If you’ve enjoyed other videos on this topic, please share them with us!

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Using Solar Cells to Teach Series and Parallel Circuits


By Marty Mathiesen

During the electricity unit in my high school physics class, I like to do an activity in which students determine the effect of having batteries placed in a series circuit and also in a parallel circuit.  We explore questions such as What are the similarities?  The differences?  What are the advantages of each method?  Do you see any patterns?

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Classroom Coasters, Mazes and More!


Chris Herald

By Chris Herald
NSTA STEM Teacher Ambassador 2017

I always love when Spring arrives because we start physics topics in my eighth grade physical science class!  Don’t get me wrong—my first love is chemistry and I have a Master’s degree to prove it—but there’s just something about physics in the Spring.  My students delve into the topics of speed and momentum with great gusto.  Two highlights?  Rolling marbles down a ruler and designing their own Hot Wheels experiment.  Not only are these students exploring some key physics topics, they are ALSO getting a chance to dabble in engineering:  a great combination!

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