Summer STEM Education Edition

Special Summer Edition No. 2, August 12, 2014

More STEM Fun for your Summer Break! 

Our Summer STEM Education Newsletter is here with more STEMtastic ways to keep your kids and students engaged during the summer break. In this edition, we have more inspirational STEM videos from our X-STEM Symposium, brain teasers from our "What's Your STEM-Q?" series, Howtoons comics from X-STEM Speaker Scientist and Inventor Dr. Saul Griffith and super fun science experiments for all ages from Steve Spangler Science! 

 

And once again, to address the question on everyone's mind- YES! The plans for the 4th USA Science & Engineering Festival are underway! We will be releasing dates and the location very soon on Facebook, Twitter and on our website so please stay tuned! 

 

View photos from the 3rd Festival here and on our Instagram page. 

Who has the Coolest Job in the World? Explore our X-STEM Video Series to Find Out! 
This past April, an exclusive group of visionaries delivered captivating presentations to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Sponsored by Northrop Grumman Foundation and MedImmune, the inaugural X-STEM Symposium hosted over 4,000 students and 60 of the top scientists and engineers in the country. 

We are so excited to offer you the opportunity to relive this incredible experience with our growing library of these X-STEM interactive presentations. Visit our YouTube Channel to hear from National Geographic's Melina Bellows who proclaims to have the "coolest job in the world", learn about the science of stunts in Hollywood with the fascinating Steve Wolf, take a space journey with award winning science children's author Seymour Simon plus much much more! Students of all ages will be motivated to pursue their passion for STEM after hearing from these fascinating pioneers, visionaries and innovators! 
X-STEM Presentation with Melina Bellows
X-STEM Presentation with Melina Bellows
What's Your STEM-Q? 
Challenge yourself with our popular What's Your STEM-Q? series! Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more brain teasers and a chance to win Festival gear! 
 
Color Changing Carnations
Where does the water go when a plant is watered? With this experiment, children can discover for themselves how essential the functions of roots and stems are to plant growth. Learn more here.   

Materials
  • 6 white carnations
  • 8 plastic cups
  • Food coloring (red, blue, and green)
  • Knife (you'll need an adult helper for this)
  • Water
Color Changing Carnations - Sick Science! #020
Walking on Eggs
What a challenge! See if you can walk across eggs without cracking them! Learn more here. 
 
Materials
  • A few dozen eggs that are in egg cartons (Select large-sized eggs)
  • Large plastic trash bag
  • Bucket of soap and water (and some disinfectant)
  • Barefoot friends

    •  
     Walking On Eggs - Sick Science! #069
GAK- Elmer's Glue Borax Recipe
Have fun with this not quite a solid, not quite a liquid slimy goo! Learn more here. 
 
Materials
  • Elmers Glue (8 oz bottle of Elmers Glue-All)
  • Borax (a powdered soap found in the grocery store)
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Plastic cup (8 oz size works well)
  • Spoon
  • Measuring cup
  • Food coloring (the spice of life)
  • Water
  • Paper towel (hey, youve got to clean up!)
  • Zipper-lock bag (dont you want to keep it when youre done?) 
    •  

    Ultimate Gooey Slime - Halloween Sick Science! #003
Elephant's Toothpaste- KID'S Version
This is a kid-safe version of the popular Elephant's Toothpaste demonstration using common household materials. A child with a great adult helper can safely do this activity and the results are wonderful. Learn more here. 

Materials
  • 16 oz empty plastic soda bottle (preferably with a narrow neck such as those made by Coca-Cola) 
  • 1/2 cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide (20-volume is 6% solution, purchased from a beauty supply store)
  • Squirt of Dawn dish detergent
  • 3-4 drops of food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in approximately 2 tablespoons very warm water
  • Funnel
  • Foil cake pan with 2-inch sides
  • Safety glasses
  • Lab smock
  • *Note video is not kid version

Patriotic Monster Foam - Cool Science Experiment
Howtoons: Inspiring Children to be Active Participants in the Future! 

Follow Celine and Tucker as they learn through play! Challenged to make something "other than trouble," this brother-and-sister pair use everyday objects to invent toys that readers can build. Combining comics and real-life science and engineering principles, Howtoons are designed to encourage kids to become active participants in the world around them. 

 

Celebrating their 10th anniversary, this remastered collection contains 360 pages with over 70 projects of the "best of" Howtoons over those years, along with new material, photos, and essays by the creators of the series! Projects include soda bottle rockets, origami robots, marshmallow shooters, ziplines, zoetropes and more! 

 

Co-created by MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" recipient and Festival X-STEM Speaker Saul Griffith, Joost Bonsen, Nick Dragotta (East of West), and Ingrid Dragotta, Howtoons is just the thing to cure the late-summer doldrums and get creativity flowing. Learn more here. 

 

Visit us online at

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is a national grassroots effort to advance STEM education and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.  Our exhibitors, performers, speakers, partners, sponsors and advisors are a who-is-who of science and engineering in the United States: from major academic centers and leading research institutes and government agencies to cutting-edge high tech companies, museums and community organizations.