by: Norman Barstow
Educational Innovations’ Growing Spheres can be used to add a note of ‘horror’ to your classroom or home Halloween experience. Once fully expanded, Growing Spheres have an index of refraction almost identical to that of water. This means that when the Growing Spheres are placed in water, they are nearly invisible.
3 Comments | 
Chemistry, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: ghost eyeballs, halloween fun, homeschool, index of refraction, parent friendly, polyacrylamide, polymer crystals | 
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Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Martin Sagendorf
Clocks measure time – it can be a continuous measure of events passing or the measure of the interval between two events.
After years of evolution, our modern clocks now divide the day into 24 equal length hours. And, as we know, there are two systems in use today: Americans use the “double-twelve” system while the rest of the world uses the 24 hour system.
The word “hour’ comes from the Latin and Greek words meaning season, or time of day. A “minute” from the medieval Latin pars minuta prima (first minute or small part), originally described the one-sixtieth of a unit in the Babylonian system of sexagesimal fractions. And “second” from partes minutae secundae, was a further subdivision on the base of sixty – i.e. “a second minute”. (ref. Pg. 42 The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin)
Has 12 at the top – probably because at noon the sun is at its highest point in the sky.
We can make a clock with 12 o’clock anywhere we wish and the clock will still work just fine. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Chemistry, College level, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: clock making, homeschool, interesting clock, parent friendly | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
By : Jill Brown
Each year I purchase the Gro-Beast Alligators from Educational Innovations for my Fourth Grade class. These growing alligators start at about three inches long and grow to over a foot long when placed in water! From this one item, I have developed lesson plans that incorporate Math, Science, Reading, Social Studies, Writing, Technology, and Language Arts!
Observation is the first action taken by learners to acquire new information about an organism; therefore, the first thing my students do is observe their polymer alligator. The students in the picture below are in the process of measuring the length, weight, circumference, and area of their polymer alligators. Students in my class also trace their alligators on graph paper then they calculate the area of each and eventually compare the area of their small (dehydrated) alligator to that of their fully grown alligator. (Math & Writing & Language). These measurements are compiled into a line graph for each student’s crocodile which aids students in making predictions about the rate of future growth of their growing reptile. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Biology, Elementary level, experiments | Tagged: alligators, animal studies, crocodiles, cross curricula learning, homeschool, homeschool activity, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, reptiles, science, thematic teaching unit | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
by: Tami O’Connor
Let’s face it, kids of every age love gooey substances! The school year is never complete until you and your students make slime. Depending upon your grade level, the topic you’re teaching, your classroom budget, and the time you have available, there are a number of options open to you.
One of my favorite “recipes” is the ever popular Elmer’s Glue Gak. Aside from the fact that it’s easy to make, it’s rare that you wouldn’t have most of the essential ingredients at your fingertips.
10 Comments | Chemistry, Elementary level, experiments, Middle School level | Tagged: Borax, Dr. Seuss, floam, fun experiments, gak, homeschool, non-Newtonian fluid, oobleck, parent friendly, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, phosphorescent powder, polymers, polyvinyl alcohol, Slime | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
