Picture this: You’re watching a student’s eyes light up as they use a pulley system to effortlessly hoist a heavy bucket. “This machine takes away work!” they exclaim triumphantly. You smile—they’re engaged, they’re excited—but there’s a problem. They’ve just locked in one of the most persistent misconceptions about simple machines, one that will muddy their …
It’s 10pm on a Tuesday and suddenly you remember you need an activity for the local group get together. When you look around you realise you have enough to make slime, but a different mom did that last week so you want to do something different. Pull out the construction paper, pencils, rulers, scissors, and …
Pick up a marker, and you’re writing in colour. The word “chromatography” is descriptive as it translates to “colour writing” from the Greek roots. But a simple marker is not as simple as you think. The primary colours are, but what about that orange marker? The purple? The green? That’s where things start getting interesting. …
Winter is a time for removing snow, and one fail safe go to is ice. Every winter the road crews bring out the ice trucks to help make driving conditions safer. Homeowners, as well, may salt their drives and sidewalks to prevent injury and accidents on their properties. Sure, we could dust the road and …
How does a pH indicator work? Every one of us has come across a pH based experiment. My first one was the cabbage pH colour change when I was at a nerdy friend’s birthday party in 3rd grade. Most of us, though, are directed to dip the pH indicator strip into a liquid to see …
Without a doubt, our personal worlds are shaped by early experiences in our lives. For instance, my early childhood was filled with experiences in which I was encouraged to ask “why” as often as I could, explore the answers, and give my own answers to those precious questions. My brain was fuelled by my imagination, …
I have found a unique challenge that I must overcome when working with the public: their hearing. In the past, I have noticed that many of my students, which range from ages 6 to 16, have trouble hearing. It is usually little things like a word out of a sentence that they misunderstood. However, those …