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
June 14, 2016
Relax! School is out and it’s time for some fun. Pour yourself an ice-cold lemonade, get settled into your favorite chair (or hammock) and enjoy our sizzling collection of summer science humor. You might also get a kick out our UV Light humor page, from a previous issue of our newsletter.
If you have a favorite cartoon or joke, we invite you to share it as a comment below.
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
April 19, 2016
Why not insert a bit of green science humor into your next quiz or homework page? Extra points for students who guess the right answers to our riddles!
You might also get a jolt from our Electricity humor page, from a previous issue of our newsletter.
If you have a favorite cartoon or joke, we invite you to share it as a comment below.
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Leave a Comment » | College level, Earth Science, electricity, Elementary level, energy, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: Educational Innovations, electricity, energy, green energy, green science, homeschool, hydropower, light, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, science, STEM, thermal energy | Permalink
Posted by Donna Giachetti
April 19, 2016
Wind power… solar power… hydropower… power from biomass… There’s so much to say about these renewable energy sources and their growing importance in our lives. Time spent teaching young minds about green science is invaluable—we are helping them to understand and participate in their own futures as inhabitants of our planet!
Even the smallest scientists will understand that the sun and wind can be made to “do work” and produce energy. This topic is so much fun to explore, we hope you’ll share your own favorite discussion starters with us in the comments below!
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
