Building Bridges with Spaghetti


By Donna Giachetti

When you think of spaghetti, what comes to mind?  Delicious swirls of long pasta coated with your favorite sauce?  Or… bridges?  Yes, bridges!  Creating a spaghetti bridge is a tried-and-true engineering challenge that can be done by students of all ages.  The opportunities for variables—and STEM learning—are (nearly) endless!

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Science Fairs in the News


latino-professor-newspaperYou might be surprised how much news there is about the ubiquitous science fair!  We have collected a few worthy articles for you.  Some are funny, others are provocative—and they’re all worth a look.

If you come across an article of interest, please share it with us in the Comments section below.

Happy reading!

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Science Fair Discussion Starters


Discussion Starters - Educational Innovations NewsletterWhy are science fairs important?  What makes the science fair process valuable?  It’s an excellent question and a good way to start a class discussion about this time-honored tradition.  First and foremost, why DO we ask our students to work on a science fair project year after year?   The answer, in a nutshell, is to help them learn how to think like scientists.  Scientists find answers to questions that interest them.  In other words, your students simply need to ask themselves, What do I want to know more about?

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Science Fair TV


EI TV - Educational Innovations BlogWhether you’re a science teacher, a parent, or just a science buff, you probably know plenty about how rewarding—and stressful—a science fair can be.   If you’re looking for the best way to communicate with your students about the steps involved in developing a science project, we’ve got you covered.  Each of the videos below explains how to plan and execute a great science fair presentation.

Enjoy!  If you find a video on science fairs that you’d like to share with us, please leave a comment!

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Lots of Bots


Ted Beyer, Educational Innovationsby Ted Beyer

Bots in a Name?

Brushbots, bristlebots, scooterbots, and any other cleverly named bots have been around for years.  You know—the toothbrush head (or something similar) paired with a tiny vibrating motor and a battery.  For years, classroom teachers and homeschool parents have been using them to introduce even young students to the principles of engineering and robotics.

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