Common Core - the next big thing in education reform - is getting a lot of positive and negative attention these days. Many of it isn’t accurate, like the requiring Grapes of Wrath for second graders. But what is it and what does it mean for the future of education? Here are a few misconceptions and the truth behind Common Core Standards. (We asked our Facebook Fans what they thought about Common Core. We are sharing some of their responses throughout this post.) Misconception Common Core was set by the federal government and is mandated for all schools. Truth Common Core is a state-led effort by state leaders, state commissioners of education, state governors, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Forty-five states have adopted the standards. Nebraska, Alaska, Texas, Minnesota and Virginia have yet to adopt them. They are being led by the states and are not mandatory. Misconception Common Core is mainly focused on high-stakes test scores. Truth Common Core Standards were designed to give every parent, teacher and student a clear idea of what are the standards of success to prepare children for college and the workforce. It is a common understanding of what students are expected to learn in every grade level. That said, Common Core-aligned tests are being developed and planned for the 2014/2015 school year, although some are already taking tests. The high-stakes tests that tie teacher salaries to test scores are the subject of a growing grassroots revolt where teachers are refusing to give them, students refusing to take them and parents keeping their children home on test days. The majority of teachers support Common Core Standards, but take issue with the testing and teaching to the test. This is the most controversial part of Common Core Standards. Misconception Politicians are determining what our students are learning. Truth Gates-funded consultants that included teachers, content and assessment experts, researchers, and standard experts wrote the standards. The drafted standards then received feedback from teachers, postsecondary educators, civil rights groups, English language learners and students with disabilities. They were also opened for public comment and received over 10,000 responses from teachers, parents, school administrators and citizens. Misconception English teachers will have to teach science and social studies in reading material. Truth English teachers will still teach both fiction and non-fiction literature. College and real world careers also demand a command of complex texts outside of literature. The Common Core Standards also include reading, research and writing in history and science. The idea is to integrate the subjects, because in the real world, science involves reading, writing, researching and more. Teachers in other subjects like science and social studies are also encouraged to build these important skills. Misconception All subjects are under strict guidelines from Common Core to tell teachers exactly what to teach in their classrooms. Truth Common Core only covers Math and English Language Arts  and is not a curriculum. Many states and districts are interpreting the standards and molding them to their specific needs. Teachers will still be able to tailor their lesson plans to the needs of the students in their classrooms. The standards provide samples to help guide teachers on appropriate grade-level lessons, but teachers have the flexibility to make their own decisions on what texts or resources they use in the classroom. They do not tell teachers how to teach, they only tell them what students need to learn. Misconception Common Core Standards bring down all standards to the lowest common denominator. States with high standards will take a step back and we will fall even further behind international students. Truth There is an explicit agreement among the states that no state will lower its standards. Common Core builds upon the most advanced standards to help students achieve success in college and beyond. International benchmarking was important in setting the standards. It is supposed to raise expectations for all students vs. lowering them. Common Core has its critics…some say we need less standardization instead of more and some do not like the way they are being implemented and adopted. It is by no way a perfect system or the end-all to education reform. A bigger and very important debate is also being raised - the variation in funding state to state does not level the playing field. For example, Wyoming spends the most per student at $18,068 per year, while Utah spends the least at only $7,217 per student.  This creates huge discrepancies in the resources available to teachers state to state. Districts also spend more or less on education based on socio-economic backgrounds and taxes. Some fear as the standards are raised, the funding will not follow, especially for lower-income schools and their students. But that’s an entirely different debate and post for another time. Where do you fall in the Common Core debate? Teachers - what are your experiences with Common Core so far? Do you agree with it or disagree? Are they easy to understand and implement? What do you think of the standards themselves? Sources and resources for this post - Myths fuel attacks on ‘Common Core’ standards: Our view (USAToday.com) Common Core foes spreading misinformation, Duncan says (Washington Post) Don’t fear Common Core, Nielsen tells local Republicans Report: Most IT Pros Say Common Core Will Be Good for Their District Don’t Fear Common Core - One teacher’s opinion (LA Times) In Push For ‘Common’ Standards, Many Parents Left Uneducated (NPR) CoreStandards.org The post Breaking Down Common Core, the Myths, the Truths, the Debates appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Love it or hate it, if you live in the 45 states that have adopted it, Common Core is coming to a classroom near you by 2014. Common Core State Standards are a state-led effort by state governors and leaders. They were written by educators and standards experts. They give teachers, parents and students a clear understanding of what they need to know at each grade level. It isn’t a curriculum but a guideline for educators. While teachers must incorporate the lessons and standards into their lesson plans, they have the flexibility to decide how they will use them. The Difference Between Good Teachers and Great Teachers Good teachers hold a teaching degree and want to play a part in the education of children. They love their students and look forward to coming to work. They’ve laminated their lesson plans and reuse them every year with some fun activities. Good teachers show up right before the bell and leave right after and usually don’t attend conferences. They teach their students how to solve problems and memorize facts for the test. Great teachers engage their students and encourage them to discover the answers on their own instead of force feeding the facts. They also have activities, but they tie them to real world connections and demonstrate the passion behind the why. They are always looking for the new ways to present ideas and excite their students. Great teachers know how to turn the lessons into unforgettable learning experiences that get home to the dinner table. They instill a lifetime of memories in their students that always start with "I’ll never forget the day that…" Common Core Subjects Common Core does not address science and only contains standards for Reading, Writing and Math. Next Generation Science Standards are coming down the pike, but with such an emphasis on high-stakes testing on reading and math, even the great teachers run out of time to teach science. At Steve Spangler Science, our busy season is usually April and May when testing is over and teachers are ready to teach science. Science is not an extra curricular activity. Science is found everywhere - in sports, in cooking, in the products we use, in technology and advancements and so much more. If we are not spending the time to educate our future scientists, our future is dim. Today’s teachers must squeeze a lot from tiny budgets, to birthday cupcakes to science social studies and music. Funding shouldn’t go to a program, it should be put into our students. How do you fit it all into a six-hour day and still produce well-rounded, fully educated children ready to enter college and eventually the job market? Squeeze it. The secret to teaching is integration. Pack a lot of information into a tiny space, a tiny budget and a tiny timeframe. Stop thinking of the school subjects as separate pieces…everything touches. Nothing is separate. Sports coaches use math and analyzing skills, financial planners must read, and software developers must write. Scientists read, write and calculate in their labs. Just because you feel weak in a subject, doesn’t mean you can avoid it throughout your life and career. Squeeze Science into the classroom.  Lisa is a 2nd grade teacher in Denver, Colorado who knows how to integrate. She shared her five top tricks to squeeze science into her classroom using Steve Spangler Science materials. 1. Lisa did away with sharing treats on birthdays. Instead, her students get to be the lab assistant for the day and help her perform and science demonstration. The kids don’t miss the sugar and get really excited to be a mad scientist for a day. 2. Lisa also integrates a lot of science into story time. She reads The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. After the class works on retelling the story while also determining the moral in the book. The class then uses UV Beads in place of the colorful Rainbow Fish scales to make their own bracelets. The beads can also be used for counting and sorting activities. 3. Axle Annie by Robin Pulver is another read aloud book she uses to teach vocabulary and plays-on-words. The students also compare and contrast how the two main characters respond to the main events in the story and determine the lesson. Then Lisa makes it snow indoors with Insta-Snow. The kids love it when she makes snow in their hands, a memorable experience. 4. About five days before Halloween, Lisa takes out her Mad Scientist Growing Body Parts Jar and fills it with water. The students take turns measuring the brain, ear, hand and nose to compare how much they’ve grown each day. She also fills a jar with salty water and asks the kids to make predictions about what will happen. 5. Lisa gives each student a Baby Soda Bottle Test Tube. They must conduct an inquiry-based activity to explore and hypothesize about the true use of the test tube. After they learn the real use, she then asks them to find a new and innovative use that solves a real world problem. She extends the activity by having the students create an advertisement or persuasive writing piece to sell the product. Don’t forget that integration is key. Everything is connected. Include a quick science activity with your read aloud. Or make math connections within science experiments. Inspire your students and create unforgettable learning experiences in your classroom. What are your tips for integrating more science, music, art, social studies or any of the forgotten subjects into your lesson plans? The post How to Tackle Common Core and Squeeze Science into the Classroom appeared first on Steve Spangler.

By Blog Editor Susan Wells As the back to school season starts, what types of feelings are stirred up? For me, it was always a mixture of excitement and joy over new clothes and school supplies and a knot in my stomach knowing I was headed into a new class with a new teacher. There were so many unknowns and stresses placed in that first day of school. While some kids are ready and eager to return to school, many face a plethora of fears and aren’t ready to say goodbye to the freedom of summer. Our Steve Spangler Science First Days of School Kit not only contains activities to turn students into friends, but also engages the kids and gets them excited about learning. If you are a teacher, you know how difficult it is to enthrall a new classroom of students who have spent long lazy days dulling their minds in the sunshine. How do you grab their minds, shake some oohs, ahhs and laughter out of them, and become the coolest teacher in the school? The First Days of School kit is packed with several Steve Spangler experiments and science toys. If it makes it to the dinner table, you win! Windbag Wonders Team Building Activity Give each student a Windbag and ask them to blow it up as fast as they can. How many breaths will it take to inflate the 8-foot-long bag? The kids will blow and blow and blow and swear that it’s impossible. It may seem that way, until you share a little secret called Bernoulli’s Principle. Inflate the bag in front of them with one breath. Now divide the students into groups of three to five and have them inflate the Windbags. Ask the students to create a free standing structure. The highest structure wins the challenge. As a chorus of laughter and chatter erupts, the students will be so engaged, they will forget all about missing mom or dad. They may even meet a new friend or two.   Do You Trust Me?  Before the students arrive in the classroom, set up by adding 1/2 a teaspoon of Water Gel in a styrofoam cup. Fill a pitcher of water and set it aside. When the students come into the classroom, choose a volunteer. Have the volunteer hold the cup above eye level while you fill it. Don’t let them see inside. The Water Gel is a special powder that is similar to the polymer found in baby diapers. When you pour the water in the cup, the powder will absorb it. Talk about the idea of trust and say "If you give me your trust this year, I promise to teach you things that will change your life forever!" Now hold the cup over the student’s head and poke pencils through the cup. Have the student promise not to runaway, and warn, "you may get wet, but I really need my pencils back." Pull the pencils out of the cup. The water will appear to have vanished and the room will fill with shouts of "how did you DO that??" Before you give yourself away, have the students make guesses as to what happened to the water. Get them asking questions and making predictions. Now that’s the science of leadership! Rainbow Friendship Bead Bracelets Give each student five or so Color Changing UV Beads and a pipe cleaner. Ask them to string the white beads and make a bracelet with the pipe cleaner around their wrist. The beads will remain white until exposed to ultra-violet light, like sunlight. The secret is a pigment in the beads that responds to UV light waves. Remove them from sunlight, and they return to their white color. You may want to "forget" to tell them that the beads have this special power and instead send them home or out to recess with the bracelets to discover on their own. Fuel their curiosity by asking the students how and why they change color. Then use the beads for one or more of these great metaphors and life lessons - B.E.A.D.S = Becoming Enthusiastic and Dedicated Students The beads are a celebration of diversity - diversity is often hidden in the brightest source of light. The beads are a metaphor for a person’s true colors. True colors are a person’s inner strengths, willingness to help out, a giving heart, compassion for others or being truthful. A person’s true colors may not be visible at first, but character traits may come out in life situations. The First Days of School Kit comes complete with an Activity Guide packed with science experiments, connections to life lessons and scientific principles. The kit is aimed at making those first days of school energetic and unforgettable by using teamwork, sharing, goal setting, reasoning and creative thinking. 30 Windbags Approximately 250 Energy Beads (Assorted Colors) 100g jar of Water Gel™ 50g jar of Jelly Marbles 3 styrofoam cups 30 pipe cleaners First Days of School Activity Guide     The post Easing the Fears and Anxieties Through Team Building During the First Days of School appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Our focus at Steve Spangler Science is teaching hands-on science - don’t read just about it in a text book, touch it, see it and live it. That’s where discoveries are made and real learning begins. Some are challenging that focus on teaching science and pushing for more of a foundation in content before going into the lab.  Daniel Willingham (Why Don’t Students Like School?) believes elementary students in particular are novices and are therefore unable to think like a scientist. The only people able to think like scientists are the expert scientists themselves, believes Willingham. Willingham argues that the only way to become an expert is to have a strong foundation in the field coupled with years of practice and experience. He believes students should write poetry and perform science experiments, but they will not have meaningful and memorable lab experiences until they become a real scientist. Katherine Beals (Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World) explains that labs are essential for the advancement of science, but questions if they are needed to learn what has already been discovered. In other words, is it better for students to study, hypothesize and question about a specific lab topic and then instead of performing it themselves, read about the experts’ findings? She questions if there is a purpose in re-enacting experiments that have been done over and over. The results have already been discovered, so why have students go through the same motions? We now teach in a world with science videos, science apps and a plethora of scientific knowledge at our fingertips. There are even programs that will step students through complete labs without the students ever having to touch a pea seed, smell formaldahyde or measure a chemical. Virtual labs calculate the results based on past experiments and give students the data they need while saving money on materials and time spent in the lab. There are the students out there that will jump up and down about this type of learning. They will step through the exciting parts of the lab without actually having to do it. But what about those who love putting on the lab glasses and gloves and diving into smelly, messy science to watch their results come alive in front of them? Even if a result has been proven again and again, isn’t there something in letting novice students make their own discoveries? A picture of Elephant’s Toothpaste is cool, but observing it shoot into the air and then smelling the reaction is something you can’t get out of a book. Science is explosive, olfactory and incredibly visual. It’s also tedious, boring at times, full of research and writing and results don’t always come out as expected. Shouldn’t students of all ages get the opportunity to experience a slice of what the expert scientists live everyday? Just like reading the real Declaration of Independence with the actual signatures of our founding fathers while standing in the National Archives makes a deeper impression than looking at a copy in a book. What are your thoughts about hands-on vs. building a deeper foundation before reaching for that lab coat? What creates memorable experiences for students?     The post Is the Hands-on Approach Really the Best Way to Learn Science? appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Steve Spangler visited the set of The Doctors Science Lab this week to share lessons on the science behind some health discomforts…   With Steve as their lab instructor, The Doctors donned their lab coats and went to work. They used Red Cabbage Indicator, Milk of Magnesia, giant flasks and a few ‘glubs’ of vinegar to demonstrate how antacids work and the classic Elephant’s Toothpaste demonstration to show what happens with food poisoning in the stomach. The Science of How Antacids Work  Antacids have to be one of the most popular over-the-counter medications that help control indigestion and heartburn. The active ingredient in most antacids is magnesium-hydroxide. It works to buffer and turn the liquids in the stomach from an acid to a neutral. When an acidic food that can cause heartburn is eaten, the antacid goes to work to neutralize it. For the occasional episode, it’s okay to use antacids to calm heartburn and indigestion. It is not a good idea to take them every day or after every meal like it was once thought. Our stomachs are designed to be acidic to digest food and function properly. The Science of Food Poisoning You’ve eaten something that wasn’t quite right - it sat out too long or was contaminated in some way. Your stomach feels like it is going to explode in all directions and you begin praying to the porcelain gods. To demonstrate what is happening inside the digestive tract, Steve used graduated cylinders to act as the stomach. When the "bad food" was introduced to the stomach, it reacted naturally, by quickly expelling the bad stuff fast. Vomiting and diarrhea are the two ways in which your body gets rid of the bacteria or virus. As cool (and smelly and hot) as this experiment is, it is best to leave it to the professionals like chemistry teachers. For more information about the Monster Foam Elephant’s Toothpaste demonstration and a kid-friendly Elephant’s Toothpaste that everyone can do at home, click the experiment links. The post The Science Behind on The Doctors Science Lab appeared first on Steve Spangler.

In his 15th appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today, Steve Spangler brought a few of his science tricks to the talk show. Steve made yet another colossal mess on Ellen’s set as he rigged 60 leaf blowers with 60 toilet paper rolls to launch at the same time. When Ellen pushed the button, the studio was instantly swallowed up by flying toilet paper as a demonstration of Bernoulli’s Principle. Ellen also demonstrated centripetal force by swinging a tub of water over her head. To watch The Ellen Show in its entirety, check your local listings. The post Steve Spangler Toilet Papers The Ellen DeGeneres’ Studio appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Bullying makes the news almost every week. It exists in schools, sports fields, playground and online. We’ve also recently learned bullying is also present in professional organizations like the NFL. Children who are bullied tend to withdraw and suffer emotional scars. In extreme cases, some become so desperate, they take their own lives. Steve sat down with professional speaker and certified professional coach Laurie Flasko to talk about bullying and what we can do as parents and teachers to put a stop to it. In her book, Bullying Is Not a Game, A Parents’ Survival Guide, Flasko shares advice and tips for parents on how to help their child get through bullying and survive. If you aren’t sure if your child is being bullied, watch for some telltale signs like a change in their personality. Are they suddenly secretive and withdrawn? Do they hide their email and online activity? Have their friends stopped coming over? Children who are being bullied may be afraid and don’t want to talk to their teachers or parents. You may need to reach out to your child and help them feel secure in talking to you. But don’t drill them. Then talk to the teacher and school about next steps. For teachers, Flasko says their relationship is very important. Know your students and watch them for sudden personality changes or behavior. A good student who stops turning in homework or falls behind quickly may be a sign. When you see something or after a student comes to you about a bullying event, address it quickly and keep the informer anonymous. Do not bring the two kids together unless the bully wants to apologize and the bullied child is okay with sitting down. For more tips, support and help, sign up for Flasko’s Bully Tip of the Week. Here are some additional resources for bullying help - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Bullying Website StopBullying.gov  StompOutBullying.com BullyHelp.org The post Bullying Is Not a Game appeared first on Steve Spangler.

"Doing experiments with household items makes science accessible to the masses." - Don Herbert This picture was taken in 1998 when Don Herbert received an honorary doctorate from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. I was invited to speak at his ceremony as we celebrated a man and his passion for inspiring young minds to learn more about science. A reporter from the Smithsonian Magazine contacted me several months ago wanting to talk the influential role Mr. Wizard played in shaping and molding my career as a professional science communicator today. Don Herbert paved the way for many of us who find great joy in communicating the wonders of science to public audiences whether it’s at our local museum, a science festival or even a television talkshow. Here’s a classic clip from Don Herbert’s original Watch Mr. Wizard show, circa 1952. Here’s the strange thing… I never saw an original Mr. Wizard Show on television during the 1950s or 60s. I’m one of those kids who grew up in the 70s when science was something you studied in school. It wasn’t until 1990 (I was in my mid 20s) that I watched Mr. Wizard’s World on cable television and I truly understood the depth of his Mr. Wizard’s genius. While it was easy to be mesmerized by the kooky science demonstrations, I was drawn to watching and learning from the techniques Don Herbert used to engage his "helpers" and the viewers watching at home. His style was calm and laid back. The focus was on the curiosity at hand and not one-liners or goofy bits of business. Yet, his experiments and the experiences he created were so entertaining. Don Herbert understood the science of engagement. In 1991 I was approached by NBC television to host a science segment on a program called News for Kids. Remember, this was pre "Bill Nye the Science Guy" or "Beakman’s World." As I worked with the producers and writers to plan the look and feel of the segment, something inside told me to find Don Herbert and see if he might give me some advice. In this pre-internet age, the search tool of choice was the phone, and it took about two days to finally track him down. Don was so kind and generous with his time on the phone, and his advice truly surprised me. "Don’t let them put you in a lab coat if you don’t want to look like a doctor or research scientist… just be yourself," Mr. Wizard told me with real conviction in his voice. "Kids don’t want to see a character… they want to see someone who is genuinely excited about the science you’re presenting. If you’re excited, they will be excited… and that’s the greatest gift you can ever give someone." But the most important piece of advice Mr. Wizard ever gave me was this… "Don’t ever let the gee-whiz over-shadow the content you’re trying to teach." In other words, it’s so easy to get caught up in the erupting foam or exploding egg or bubbling concoction that you forget to actually teach some science. "Use the gee-whiz to grab their attention and then do something meaningful with it." I was excited to follow-up with Don and share some of the episodes from my science segment on News for Kids that were inspired by the man himself. A popular guest on the Johnny Carson Show and later on David Letterman, Don Herbert was truly an inspiration to an entire generation of science enthusiasts and career scientists. This video is from David Letterman’s first show on NBC in 1982 when Mr. Wizard was a guest. You’ll notice that Don isn’t wearing a goofy tie-dye lab coat pretending to be a zany character. Instead, he’s just a guy who is passionate about sharing the wonders of science. If I tried to recreate any of these experiment on television today, producers would be eager to make the demonstrations bigger with more wow-factor and pizzazz. Yet, there’s something really cool about just sharing the experiment. Take a look… A large collection of his documents and photos were recently donated to the Archives Center of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History by Herbert’s step-daughter and her husband, Kristen and Tom Nikosey. A small selection from the archive is on display through October 2, 2015, in the museum’s newly renovated west wing, but the bulk of the materials are available by appointment. Read the entire article from the Smithsonian Magazine entitled Meet Mr. Wizard, Television’s Original Science Guy. Read the article from Speaker Magazine from February 2012…   The post How Mr. Wizard Inspired Me - A Conversation with Smithsonian Magazine appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Mark Koebrich & Steve Spangler - 16 Years of Making Science Fun on Television Written by @SteveSpangler | February 29, 2016 I learned everything I know about television from Mark Koebrich Television can be a strange world, especially when you’re a science teacher who is hired to present a weekly science segment at Denver’s #1 television station. Did I mention that I had no formal television training? I’m not exactly sure why Mark Koebrich took me under his wing on my first day, but I’ll be forever grateful that he did. From day one, Mark taught me words to live by… make it big, do it right, give it class. As Mark wraps up his career in television, I wanted to take a quick look back on the many ways Mark taught me everything I know about being on television. Mark Koebrich was a television celebrity when I was a teenager growing up in Denver. 9NEWS KUSA was the #1 station (and still is) and Mark was the guy everyone loved. He knew the secret to engaging his viewers with great writing, impactful stories and a personality that jumped off the screen. He was passionate about reporting the news and loved doing it. He was and continues to be the same amazing person you see on and off camera. You can imagine my excitement and nervousness when he welcomed me on my first day and said, "Television is easy. Just have fun and the viewers will love what you’re doing. Remember… I’m here to help you find your groove… we’re a team." Looking back on the last 16 years, Mark was right… we were a team. By my own best estimate, Mark and I teamed up for nearly 800 television segments, and he was always game for any idea that I would pitch on Monday morning. "I think it’s best if you don’t tell me what’s going to happen. Let me be surprised and I think the viewers will love it." Mark was right… the viewers did love it. Monday afternoon became must-see-tv for people who couldn’t wait to watch Mark accept his next science challenge. I remember writing a segment about the science of inertia using eggs and empty toilet paper tubes. The challenge was to knock the tray out of the way in hopes that the eggs landed safely in the drinking glasses. Remember, this is live television and I was a little uncertain as to whether or not Mark would say yes to doing it. What if it didn’t work? Would he look bad if the eggs broke? Without hesitation, Mark whipped off his jacket and told me to get out of his way. He landed the eggs perfectly! It’s hard to believe that eggs and toilet paper tubes could seal the deal, but something happened that day that changed everything. We had chemistry on camera. After successfully knocking the eggs into the glasses, Mark made a funny gesture with his arms that eventually became his signature move. Everyone in the newsroom loved it. You would have thought that he had just won the lottery as he ran around the room accepting high fives from everyone. This guy loved doing science demonstrations and I had just made a new best friend. Maybe the best lessons I ever learned from Mark Koebrich happened during the moments you didn’t see on television. I watched and learned how Mark welcomed guests to the studio and helped ease their nerves before their big debut on television. He taught me how to write copy, pitch ideas to the producer, respond to viewer e-mail with class, take criticism, offer suggestions, make time for anyone who visited the station, laugh at myself, support co-workers, thank the people behind the camera who make you look good, how to properly wear a microphone and even how to put on make-up. Even in the most stressful of times, Mark made the job look easy and fun. I couldn’t be more thankful for these amazing gifts. Anyone who has watched our Spangler Science segments on 9NEWS over the years knows that my three boys grew up on television with Mark Koebrich. My oldest son, Jack, took a liking to "Mr. Koebrich" during his first appearance when he convinced the nice man to touch the ball filled with static electricity. When Mark reached out and got zapped with bolt of electricity, little Jack Spangler said, "See Mr. Koebrich, you have to be careful with science." Jack would run across the newsroom and jump in to Mark’s arms every time he was on the show. And Jack was quick to introduce his twin brothers to Mr. Koebrich as soon as they were old enough to sit on the counter. It’s a bitter sweet day for me and my family to see Mark ride off into the sunset after so many years together doing every imaginable science experiment on 9NEWS. These pictures are but a few of my favorite memories of a colleague and friend who helped me find the most entertaining ways to make science fun. The one thing that I won’t have to worry about is finding a retirement gift. After ruining countless shirts and ties and burning holes in three perfectly good suits, I know that he’ll put the Nordstrom gift card to good use. Or maybe I’ll throw caution to the wind and make him one of those flaming wallets. Good idea. Share this postShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on LinkedinShare on TumblrShare on RedditShare by Mail The post Mark Koebrich Retires After 16 Years with Steve Spangler on Television appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Steve Spangler’s Egg Drop Contest Weather & Science Day - Coors Field - April 28, 2016 We’re excited to announce the Steve Spangler Science Egg Drop Contest on April 28th at Weather & Science Day. It’s the ultimate STEM challenge in front of 10,000 science enthusiasts at Weather & Science Day at Coors Field, hosted by the Colorado Rockies, 9NEWS, Colorado State University and Steve Spangler Science. [avia_codeblock_placeholder uid="0"] The three winning schools will be contacted on Monday, April 4, 2016. 9NEWS Science Guy Steve Spangler will also announce the three winning schools during the 4 O’Clock Show on April 4, 2016. Be sure to watch! The goal of the traditional egg drop contest is to combine your knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math with creative packaging design to keep a raw chicken egg from breaking as it plunges to the ground below. What makes this contest exciting is the location of the launch site - Coors Field in downtown Denver, Colorado, home of the Colorado Rockies. But how will Steve Spangler’s team hoist your egg-protecting contraption to the height of 60 feet and let it go, landing in the middle of Coors Field? Steve has enlisted the help of his good friends at Edge of Space Science to give the egg some lift. Watch the video above… Egg Drop Contest Guidelines You can’t have an egg drop contest without some rules. These rules are somewhat different from other contests you might have experienced at school due to the special location of the event. While the ultimate goal is the egg’s survival (no cracking), points will be awarded for creativity and innovation as well. The Steve Spangler Science team will select three schools to participate in the event based on the list of participants who have already purchased tickets to attend the event on April 28, 2016. Only those schools who have been selected and received written confirmation from the Spangler team will be allowed to participate in the Egg Drop Contest. Each of the three participating schools will receive an official box from Steve Spangler Science to house your design. The exact dimensions of the box are 11.25" x 8.75" x 8". You must use the supplied box (referred to as the "package"). No part of your egg protecting design can extend outside the supplied box. No parachutes are allowed. The egg will be a standard, large-size, raw chicken egg. The judges will be responsible for purchasing the eggs and will give each team an egg on the day of the event. The egg will be examined by the 9NEWS judges prior to being placed in the package. Please make sure that your design allows for the egg to be placed in the package right before the beginning of the competition. The egg cannot be modified in any way prior to being placed in the package. The box will be attached to a weather balloon by the experts at Edge of Space Science. The balloon will be hoisted to a height of 60 feet and popped. The box will land on the grass in center field. While the ultimate goal is to design special packaging to keep the egg from breaking, points will be awarded for creativity and innovation of the package design. If you have any questions, please contact Bryan Higgins at 303.798.2778 or e-mail bryan@stevespangler.com The post Science and Weather Day 2016 - Egg Drop Contest appeared first on Steve Spangler.