hkerby - 25-5-2013 at 13:09
Hello--
I am the PI on a project to develop demonstration shows that teach the underlying concepts. I'd like to know what other demonstration show folks do
to teach concepts and what kind of assessment they use to see if they were successful. Thanks for the input!
Holly
mayko - 26-5-2013 at 06:38
I sometimes do chemistry shows with dry ice; it's eye-catching and has convenient environmental tie-ins.
Here's one I did when I was living at a music venue in Atlanta; we did it in between shows. I even built a little lightbox to illuminate the
color-changing chemical reaction in the dark room.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jZah37ncMY
Here's a picture from another show I did, this one at a Really Really Free Market hosted by Occupy Durham. I use a shark puppet for more visual appeal and to cement the
connection to ocean life. Kids seem to really like it. I've never done any followup, though.
MrHomeScientist - 6-6-2013 at 08:04
I co-host a science stage show that we perform for elementary school children, to get them interested in science at an early age. I do chemistry
demos, and the other guy does demos involving electricity. You can read about our program and see videos and write-ups at www.sciencebrothers.org .
We've never done any formal assessments, but the response from the kids directly afterward is amazing. All the time parents or teachers will tell me
that their kids were talking about this show for days. It's really rewarding! There's actually a cool story: another member of our team saw the
previous version of our show ("Dr. Science," held about 12 years ago) when she was in elementary school, and that inspired her to become an Electrical
Engineer. Now she's come full-circle, and is a part of our reboot of the show and inspiring kids herself!