Feynman’s Father

This clip of Richard Feynman discussing inertia is notable for two reasons. First, he explains inertia in a wonderfully clear manner. But, even better to me, is the way his father answered his questions. It made the young Richard run back to his wagon to observe for himself what his father had said. This is [...]

How magnets are made

Ever wonder how magnets are made? This is an excellent clip of how they do it. How-to videos are valuable for showing us that a lot of thought, imagination, and science skills have to be used together to bring us all the things we have today. I love watching things like this!

Beautiful Saturn

This is an amazing video created from individual still photos taken by the Cassini spacecraft on its journey to explore Saturn and its moons. If you’re able, click the lower right corner of the video to watch it in full-screen HD. You can read more about the Cassini mission here and more about the making [...]

Clouds Come and Go

It’s always interesting to see things from different points of… time. Things that normally happen slowly can reveal surprises when sped up. We usually think of a cloud as a big fluffy white thing that floats along as a more-or-less “solid” object. Here we can see that they really appear and disappear, forming and vanishing [...]

Seeing Sound

The sound we hear interacts with itself to form patterns we usually can’t see. Salt on a metal plate, and attached to a speaker, shows these patterns clearly.

Slow-Mo Popcorn

It’s always cool when things that happen quickly are slowed down. Each kernel of popcorn has a little water in it. Enough heat turns the water to steam, which bursts the shell and turns the whole thing inside out.

A True Young Scientist

I’m sure this is making the rounds but it really fits right here on this site! As I say, encourage your young scientist from the very start. You’re doing so will shape their future.

One Way to See Sound

This very interesting experiment used a plastic cup of water sitting on the cone of a speaker. As the frequency (pitch) of the sound was changed, waves and patterns formed in the water.  It’s a nice demonstration of how sound can move things (like our eardrums.) For more than you’ll ever want to know about [...]

Seeds

As you look around for things to explore with your young scientist, keep your eyes open for a chance to talk about how plants grow from seeds.

Iceland’s Volcano

Not many of us get to see a volcano up close and in action. While this new eruption has caused all sorts of problems with air travel, it’s giving us a good look at the power inside our planet. Watch closely for ripples that spread out through the smoke (good one at 17 seconds!) These [...]

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