Steve Spangler And Halloween

October 2, 2008 at 3:26 pm · Comments (5)
Wordcount: 217

Halloween is right around the corner and I’m debating on whether to actually get Eric a new costume or let him wear his old one from last year. Last year he was Darth Vader, and surprisingly the costume still (barely) fits him. It cost me roughly $60, so it might be wise to use it one more time. Then I guess I’ll sell it on eBay or something cause people buy halloween costumes on eBay all the time. Anyway, in celebration of Halloween this year, I think I’m going to pick a couple of cool Halloween related experiments off of SteveSpanglerScience.Com. I got a newsletter from them yesterday and it was about Halloween experiments.

The one I want to definitely try first is the Glow-In-The-Dark Pumpkins experiment. I think Eric would like that one alot. But I’ll have to order some of that glow powder. I have a blacklight in my closet from my younger years, so I won’t have to buy one of those. I also want to do something with dry ice, and Steve Spangler has an interesting experiment with that, too. For any of my readers that have young kids (not babies or toddlers, of course) I highly recommend SteveSpanglerScience.Com. It sparks their imagination and educates them at the same time. What could be better?

Commenters: Julie, Panda

School Suspends Boy For Wearing Anti-Obama Shirt

September 23, 2008 at 9:26 pm · Comments (6)
Wordcount: 270

A fifth grader in Colorado was suspended from school because he refused to take off the shirt he was wearing. The shirt read “Obama is a terrorist’s best friend”. The child’s father stated that the school has violated his son’s First Amendment rights and they are suing. The 11 year old child, Daxx Dalton, who attends Aurora Frontier School in Aurora, Colorado wore the home-made shirt on a day when the students had been asked to show their patriotism by wearing red, white and blue. He was given a choice of either turning the shirt inside out or being suspended, and he chose suspension. The boy claims his right to freedom of speech has been taken away.

I personally don’t believe that his rights were violated in any way, shape, or form. I don’t think that the shirt he wore was appropriate for elementary school. Maybe if he was in high school. I also think the child’s views are influenced way too much by his father. I agree with the fact that everyone is entitles to Freedom Of Speech, but there is an appropriate time and place. He could have just worn a shirt saying “don’t vote for Obama” or something to that affect, but the statement he made with that t-shirt was downright ugly and nasty. If I was the parent of a child that goes to that school, and they had not suspended this kid, I think I’d be pretty upset. I personally don’t think children should be exposed to that type of ugliness, but I especially disagree with it being exposed to them in their own school.

Commenters: Charity, Erica, Julie, Winnie

Educational Gift Ideas For Your Kids

September 5, 2008 at 11:11 am · Comments (2)
Wordcount: 360

I know it’s just the beginning of September, but Christmas is just around the corner. It will sneak up on us quick. That’s why I start thinking about it early. When making decisions regarding what gifts to get my son for Christmas, I generally go for a few thinks I know he wants, as well as a few educational christmas gifts. One place I find myself looking for gift ideas at more and more is The Steve Spangler website. They have some really cool science related products and awesome “toys” for your youngster or budding little scientist. My son expressed a love for math and science at a very young age and for the past 3 years has said he wants to be a scientist when he grows up. That’s why I tend to lean more towards science related things when I’m looking for educational gifts. Alot of kids think educational toys are probably not something they’d want, but if you check out some of the cool products they have out now, you’d be surprised at how much fun your child could have while actually learning something. I suggest for kids around my son’s age (he’s almost 9) try some test tube experiments, or a microscope and some interesting slides with various things on them. Kids love that stuff, really. You can find some of the test tube kits on Amazon.com, or SteveSpanglerScience.Com. On Amazon they have this set called Lab in a Bag which I bought my son last year for Christmas and he absolutely LOVED it. I also bought him a science experiment book, so there’s another idea. Not only does he get the opportunity to learn about science, but we get to do the experiments together thus spending some quality time one on one with each other. As any parent knows, children love it when their parents give them one on one time, especially when they get to do something fun. Toys R Us also has tons of educational toys for kids. Look for brands like LeapFrog, Leapster, and Learning Resources for educational gift ideas. I’m telling you, you can’t go wrong with these kinds of toys.

Commenters: Julie, Mamacita