John Meagher reports: I explained to my 4th graders that it was my first day in the classroom as a science volunteer and asked them how they thought I felt.  After I received the answers “nervous” and “afraid,” to which I truthfully responded “a little bit,” a young student raised his hand and asked “Are…

Announcement of new toys for Girls Rebel Toy Company Launches New Quest to Turn Princesses Into Engineers (Wired) When GoldieBlox tried to launch its line of engineering and building toys for girls, Lindsey Shepard says she heard one thing over and over from the rest of the toy industry: “Girls don’t want them.” It seems that…

ReSET Volunteer Bob Williams writes:  I’m sure that this is not new for many, but at out meeting I spoke to a couple of people who did not know the Ben Carson story, so here is a tickler. Ben Carson rose from poverty and inner city chaos to become a world-famous pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns…

It helps to remind students that scientists and engineers can make higher salaries than lower paid professions. Do you think your elementary school students are starting to think of their long-term financial and lifestyle prospects?  The information below may be of use to supplement ReSET volunteers’ discussions of what sparked their interest in science and…

From Science Friday: Students can write their name in binary code using Goldfish (the edible kind) http://sciencefriday.com/teacher-resources/08/19/2015/write-your-name-in-binary-code.html    

EXPERIMENT 1 OBJECTIVE: Build a structure that can support the most possible weight.   MATERIALS: Wooden Clothespins Binder Clips –3/4 inch wide Colored Jumbo Craft Sticks – 6 inches long Books PROCEDURE: Have children break out into teams of 3-4 and challenge them to build structures that support weight. They will use the binder clips…