Whether You STEM It, STEAM It, or STREAM, Make Science Spectacular!
Experiments for Spectacular Science
As a 21st Century Evaluator and former science teacher, I love seeing students embrace science. Science was truly my first love. I had two great science teachers in Jr. & High School (Mr. Conrad Britton & Mrs. Janet Dixon - both now deceased). I can truly say that both of these wonderful people are two of the main reasons I became a science teacher. Mr. Conrad pushed me to think. I loved our debates, and my classmates loved them even more. Actually to be truthful, I got a lot of free snacks from the candy store because no one could get Mr. Conrad on his soap box faster than I could. And while we all thought we had gotten him off key... Mr. Conrad was smarter than all of us. He still taught us science... just not always from the book. Oh how I loved this man. Not only was he a great teacher, a great bus driver, he was also a great friend. I loved his stories... and I loved his challenges. I'm still wondering if sound is made when a tree falls in the forest if no one is there to hear it... or if it is really true a watermelon has no color on the inside until it is cut and light hit it.
Mrs. Janet was a mess... no really... you should have seen her lab. I think the next science teacher had to get a hazmat group in to clean out the lab when she retired. I loved collecting leaves, bugs, and fungi for her. She challenged me to think so much. She encouraged me. She made me think I was smarter than I was... so I was. But only Mrs. Janet could have gotten away with having fetal pigs and donuts for a fundraiser in the same room. (Well, actually one other woman comes to mind, who is also a great friend and lover of science - Harriet Callahan.) Mrs. Janet made science come alive. I always did my best to emulate her. I can only hope my students thought I was half as cool as she was. I miss my former science teachers. Truth be told, I feel many days we were robbed of them. They should still be with us. But I know I have to keep going, and it is actions like the writing of this book that I attempt to keep their memory and spirit alive for other kids.
When I see kids in a science classroom, I want to see them in pure awe of what is happening in their lives. I detest boring science lessons. A science classroom should never be boring. I know teachers are always under time constraints. So, I want to help them out a little. This book will be filled with experiments that are doable, economical, and oh so fun! I have two great guinea pigs to use to test them. And if they are not Clemens & Emmitt (my grandsons - ages 4 and 10 months) approved, I won't use them. I can't wait until this work is finished and I can share it.
Stay Tuned!
Spectacular Science Projects Coming Soon!
