February 7, 2017
Even toddlers understand the concepts of hot and cold. And we’re all familiar with the plight of an ice cream cone on a hot day, right? So does that mean it’s easy to teach the concept of thermal energy? Not necessarily. It’s important to start with clear definitions of terms such as “heat” and “temperature.” Many students cannot discriminate between these terms or may use them interchangeably. This confusion can present a barrier to understanding other important physical science concepts.
One of the best ways to explain thermal energy to your students is by using real-life examples, which is why we’ve compiled a bunch of curiosity-inducing questions below. Use these questions to start a thermal energy discussion with your students. If you have other questions you’d like to share, please write to us in the Comments section below.
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College level, Elementary level, energy, High School level, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: Educational Innovations, energy, homeschool, insulators, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, science, thermal energy | 
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
February 7, 2017
To put it simply, we think thermal energy is cool! Many of our best-selling discrepant event demos are related to thermal energy, as you’ll see from the reviews below. With our Ice Melting Blocks, you can ask your students to predict which block will melt an ice cube more rapidly… Use a Chemical Heat Pack to challenge your class to figure out how heat—usually associated with melting—can be produced by a reaction that turns a liquid into a solid… Or dazzle them with Nitinol Memory Wire that changes shape upon heating!
If you have a favorite Educational Innovations product, send us a comment below. We’d love to share your review with your fellow teachers and science lovers.
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
January 27, 2017
by Jen Donaldson
In my classroom, I’ve devised two new uses for Growing Spheres which help students have a better grasp on some otherwise complicated science concepts.
These small spheres are a wonderful way to make the invisible VISIBLE—in three dimensions!
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
December 16, 2016
by Nancy Foote
A curiosity table. That’s what I call it. Whenever my students have a free minute (which rarely happens), I encourage them to investigate the materials on the curiosity table in our classroom.
Today I added something new—an Atmospheric Mat.
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
December 6, 2016
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is surely worth a few million. Especially when it comes to scientific explanations, a video is a wonderful tool for conveying information to your students in a visual, easy-to-follow manner.
The videos below offer you and your students a glimpse into the world of hydrophilic polymers—where they are today, what new discoveries we’ve made, and where we are headed in the future.
Enjoy! If you find a video on hydrophilic polymers that you’d like to share with us, please leave a comment!
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
