50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing!

 

 

Do you remember where you were on these historic dates, July 16, 1969 and July 20, 1969? I am sure that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong know exactly where they were!

July 16, 1969 Apollo 11 launched from Cape Canaveral Florida with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on board, beginning their historic flight to the moon.

July 20, 1969, 4 days later, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans to ever land on the moon and Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon! While taking a step onto the moon, Neil Armstrong said the famous quote that was heard around the world, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” These 2 days in history, will never be forgotten.

What science learned about the moon will also never be forgotten. The astronauts also returned to Earth with the first samples from another planetary body. Lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles and sand from the lunar surface were brought back to Earth. Scientists studied these items to learn more about the Moon, the Earth and the inner solar system.

Scientists have always been curious about space and what was out there. Children are curious as well and seem to be interested in learning everything they can about space and planets.  What if, alongside our team of professionals, students would be guided through the learning process, becoming real scientists performing real experiments!

High Touch High Tech, Science Made Fun has been around for 25 years and has been committed to moving STEM education forward within our community. HTHT  is a proud supporter of the Science, Technology, Engineering & Math initiative that is taking our Nation by storm. We encourage educators to ‘think outside of the box’ & challenge their students to find the science that surrounds us each day. This has made us an invaluable resource & trustworthy tool for teachers across the country.

Some of the Space Programs that we offer are:

Flight Command

Mission Control

Follow that Planet

Zoom to the Moon

Staggering through the Stars

These are just a few of the many space programs that we have. Whether your looking for preschool, elementary programs, afterschool programs or even Birthday Science Programs, we can accommodate your science needs!

Check out our website for more information or you can reach us at 800.444.4968 or by email us at info@ScienceMadeFun.net

 

High Touch High Tech, Science Made FUN

Hands-on FUN experiments for ages 3-12!

We come to you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we honor Lucy Wills, the woman who created prenatal vitamins.

Lucy Wills,  born in Birmingham, England in 1888, she studied botany and geology and received a certificate in 1911. In 1915 she enrolled in The London School of Medicine for Women and legally  became a medical practitioner in 1920, earning her bachelor degrees in medicine and science.

In 1928, she did research about pregnant women and anemia and realized that the Bombay women had a correlation between their dietary habits and likelihood of their becoming anemic during pregnancy. Ultimately, her studies suggested that a vitamin deficiency was to blame.

Her discovery was the first step toward creation of folic acid. For many years it was the Wills Factor until folic acid was named in 1941 when it was isolated from spinach.

Now the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that women take 400 micrograms of folic acid are taken every day.

May 10, 1888 – April 16, 1964

Happy Birthday Lucy Wills and Thank You for all that you did for women and their babies!

 

Source: https://www.cnet
.com/news/google-doodle-honors-lucy-wills-pioneering-prenatal-care-researcher/
Pic Source: https://www.google.com/
Google Doodle

A Parent Speaks About Her Son’s HTHT Science Birthday Party!

Wavelength Wilx’s Super Science Birthday Party 

 

Interview with Mitzi Ray (Wilx’s Mother) about Wilx’s Super Science Party. 

Question #1: How did you learn about High Touch High Tech and our Birthday Parties?

Answer #1: When I taught at Spruce Pine Montessori School we had HTHT come in and do programs with our Preschoolers and Kindergarteners. The children as well as the teachers enjoyed the experience very much! So when Wilx’s 5th birthday rolled around I did some research to see if parties were offered through HTHT, and luckily they were!

Question #2: What was yours and Wilx’s favorite part of the HTHT Birthday Party experience?

Answer #2: Well…Wilx’s favorite part were the science experiments!! I asked him which was his favorite and he loved the volcano! I have so many favorite parts!! I love that Wilx and all of the other children had so much fun with the experiments. I loved that they were so engaged and so willing to participate. I really enjoyed seeing the children’s reactions before, during and after each experiment. I also enjoyed seeing the parents’ reactions. I believe that some of the parents in attendance had just as much fun, if not more, than their children. I also really loved the party favor bags. They were really cool…both inside and out!

Question #3: What was your level of satisfaction with the scientist who delivered the science party?

Answer #3: We were very happy with Asteroid Amber. She was calm in the chaos of 12 preschoolers (and several observing parents), she held the children’s attention, she gave age appropriate instruction and delivered on greatness at one of the best birthday parties we’ve ever thrown!

Question #4: Were the science experiments FUN? Were they exciting? Too hard or too easy?

Answer #4: Were the science experiments fun???? Absolutely yes they were!!!! They were exciting and I think they were very age-appropriate for the group we had. We had 2 year olds all the way up to one 8 year old, and everyone was happily interacting with all of the experiments and with one another.

Questions#5: What is the likelihood that you’d use HTHT again in the future?

Answer #5:  It’s very likely we would use HTHT in the future. Wilx keeps stating he wants to have another science party, and it’s been three months since we had his! So we’ll see. I know I have said it many times before…but I’ll say it again. Thanks to everyone involved with Wavelength Wilx’s Super Science Party. It was truly an awesome experience, from the first phone conversation with Radioactive Rebecca to the driving away of Asteroid Amber on the day of the party. HTHT went well above and beyond to make sure our experience was professional and fabulously fun!

 To Book One Of Our Sizzlin’ Science Birthday Parties

Please Visit Us Online: http://sciencemadefunwnc.net/birthday.cfm

Or Call Us At 828.684.3192!

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss’s Birthday!

Image Source: ©2014 ClipartPanda.com

Wishing Dr. Seuss a very Happy Birthday today! 

Theodore Seuss Geisel was famous for his work in children’s literature, most notably for The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and many others. 

Quite possibly Dr. Seuss’ most influential book was The Lorax. It quickly became an icon for environmental conservation. Dr. Seuss states “It’s a book about going easy on what we’ve got. It’s anti-pollution and anti-greed.” The Lorax the movie was released on March 2, 2012, the last of 4 major motion pictures released based on his books. 

Here is a related activity for teaching your students about the environment and Dr. Seuss: https://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/EPA_DrSeuss-Resources.pdf

Google Celebrates One of Britian’s Most Famous Scientists…Happy 112th Birthday, Dorothy Hodgkin!

Today, Google celebrates one of Britian’s most famous scientists – Dorothy Hodgkin. Remember in grade school when you did 3-D mapping of specific molecules? You can, in part, thank Dorothy Hodgkin, this incredibly influential British biochemist whose biggest contribution came in her mapping of molecules. Today, May 12, 2014 marks her 104th birthday, and the occasion was celebrated by Google by introducing a Dorothy Hodgkin themed Google Doodle.

Here is what you need to know about Nobel Laureate Dorothy Hodgkin:

1. She Was Born in Egypt 

Dorothy Hodgkin was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1910. She was raised as a British expatriate in Egypt by her father John Winter Crowfoot, an archeologist and classics scholar, and her mother Grace Crowfoot, an expert on ancient Egyptian textiles.

During WWI she was sent to England to begin her formal education. Before college, she developed an interest in Chemistry, and while studying at Oxford she became dedicated to X-ray crystallography, the study and mapping of molecular form.

 


2. She 3-D Mapped Molecules

In 1942, as bombs rained down on England, Hodgkin began X-raying molecules, eventually finding the exact structure for the vitamin B12. Her work on B12 catapulted her to international renowned and she presented her research in academies across the globe.

In 1934 and continuing on for many years, Hodgkin’s most renowned work involved the mapping of Insulin.

3. She Won the Nobel Prize in 1964

Her work on the mapping of Insulin earned her a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1964. Hodgkin became the third woman in history to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

She is also the only British woman to have ever won a Nobel prize in science.


4. She Was Banned From Entering the U.S. Because of Her Communist Husband

During the height of the United States’ “red scare,” Dorothy Hodgkin was not allowed into the United States. Her husband had been a one-time member of the Communist Party, as had many of her friends and close relations. So, in 1953, as Hodgkin attempted to enter the country, she was denied a visa.


5. A Google Doodle Celebrated Her Birthday

In keeping with their attempt to highlight the achievements of great women in history, on May 12, Google celebrated Hodgkin’s 104th birthday with a Google Doodle. The sketch, which you can see above, mimics the mapping of a molecule.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! 

Earth provides everything we need to survive – shelter, food, water, air and so much more! April 22nd is an annual holiday that serves as a reminder of how we personally impact the Earth. It presents an opportunity to educate children on how to make responsible decisions when it comes to protecting the Earth’s resources.  Some may not realize that making small changes in our daily routine can minimize our carbon footprint.

Some people may feel  that Earth Day is no laughing matter, but here at High Touch High Tech, we believe science can be FUN – especially on days like today.  To that end, here are some of our favorite funny Earth Day pictures, videos & moments that promote green living & will make you laugh at the same time.

Looking for FUN Earth Day activities or ways to celebrate? Check out these great resources:

NASA invites you — and everyone else on the planet — to take part in a worldwide celebration of Earth Day this year with the agency’s #GlobalSelfie event.

HTHT E-news Archives: November 2012 – I Didn’t Know I Could Recycle That! 

Celebrate Earth Week with FUN Science at home & in the classroom.  

As the global organizer behind Earth Day, Earth Day Network creates tools and resources for you to get involved with Earth Day in your community. 


To learn more about our hands-on programming or franchising opportunities with High Touch High Tech, visit us online at ScienceMadeFun.net or ScienceMadeFunFranchise.net.

High Touch High Tech is the leader in innovative, hands-on science and nature experiences for children, serving over 4 million children annually with 29 franchise locations across the United States, Canada, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam & Turkey.

5 Amazing Life Lessons from the One & Only, Albert Einstein!!

 

Albert Einstein has long been considered a genius by the masses. He was a theoretical physicist, philosopher, author, and is perhaps the most influential scientists to ever live. In honor of this science icon and to say ‘Happy Birthday Einstein,” we thought we’d share one of our favorite archived e-news articles from March 2013! 

Einstein has made great contributions to the scientific world, including the theory of relativity, the founding of relativistic cosmology, the prediction of the deflection of light by gravity, the quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, the zero-point energy concept, and the quantum theory of a monatomic gas which predicted Bose–Einstein condensation, to name a few of his scientific contributions.

Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” He’s published more than 300 scientific works and over 150 non-scientific works. Einstein is considered the father of modern physics and is probably the most successful scientist there ever was.

But, you don’t have to be a physicist or an elite research scientist to take away from what Einstein had to offer. We don’t tap often enough into the words of wisdom Einstein shared with the world. From the simply stated to the profoundly put, there’s a lot we can take away from Einstein’s words.

Everyday brings a new opportunity to put his teachings to good use in our personal lives. In celebration of Albert Einstein’s birthday, we bring you 5 Amazing Lessons You Can Learn from Albert Einstein! 


These quotes are just a few of our favorites that show how Einstein reached people all throughout  walks of life – Do you have a favorite lesson from Albert Einstein? We want to know which of them resonates with you in your life!

Leave us your thoughts below – We always look forward to hearing what our readers have to say!

A Legend Worthy of the Seven Seas: Happy Birthday Jacques Cousteau!

“The future rests in the hands of young people. By capturing children’s interest in the undersea world at an early age, we inspire them to continue learning about it — and about how to care for our precious Water Planet — throughout their lives.”    

 – Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau


 

Throughout the 1970s, households around the world dedicated their Saturday evenings to their television sets to tune into The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. With his “Undersea World,” Jacques Cousteau educated a generation the world over about marine biology & scientific exploration. His documentaries and filming were always breathtaking & cutting edge, and his passion for the environment was undeniable as it shone through into millions of living rooms each week.  

His contributions to marine science run much deeper than television though.  With his iconic red beanie and famed ship Calypso, the French marine explorer, inventor, filmmaker, and conservationist sailed the world for much of the late 20th century, educating millions about the Earth’s oceans and its inhabitants, and inspiring their protection. Sadly, Cousteau died in 1997, but his legacy lives on in millions of marine biologists, oceanographers, explorers & scientists. It’s no surprise that in the years after his death, he’s become even more of a legend for his pioneering marine work and innovations. 

As we approach the birthday of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, we were curious as to what made this scientific ocean explorer such a vital part of scientific history? In addition to bringing oceanography & ocean conservation to the masses – here are our top reasons why every person – young or old – should know Captain Jacques Cousteau!

1. Jacques Cousteau – The Pioneer & Inventor

Oceanography, the study of the oceans, has been around for a very long time but only started formally in the last century or two. Less than 130 years ago the oceans finally started to be explored by the Americans, British, and other European nations.

In 1943, Cousteau and Emile Gagnan, a French engineer, invented the demand regulator, which, when attached to the SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Oxygen Breathing Apparatus), allowed divers to dive more deeply and for longer periods. The combined equipment was dubbed “the aqualung” & revolutionized the field of oceanography. For the first time people had the ability to stay under water for extended periods of time & better understand the different kinds of creatures that live in the deep depths of the sea. The invention also aided in the advancement of geological science as geologists were now able to study the sea floor & study how the Earth had changed over thousands of years.  

With his invention of the Aqua-Lung, Cousteau took his place as a pioneer in ocean exploration and led his crew on to explore and film parts of the ocean depths that had never been seen before – ever!

2. Jacques Cousteau – The Award-Winning Film Maker & Science Super-Star

One of Cousteau’s most valuable contributions to the world was simply in submerging cameras, donning Aqua Lungs and introducing millions of people, with a huge dose of exuberance, to a new world both on television & with his never-before-seen underwater documentaries. Cousteau’s adventures were the first of their kind – a deep & complete introduction for the general public to the mysterious undersea world.

Cousteau had no science degree, but his passion and visual storytelling skills worked like a siren’s call, pulling us into his undersea world with the message of “Come with me & look at this wonderful thing & see how it acts & behaves.”  Some of his films that shot him to super-stardom were the Oscar-winning films such as The Silent World, The Golden Fish, and World Without Sun.

Thanks to modern technology, part of the Cousteau Archive is now accessible on a mobile application via the Android Market & I-Tunes. Through three unique collections, re-discover the legendary adventures of Jacques-Yves Cousteau: his expeditions, his crew, his inventions, his dreams and aspirations… The app also features some of the best images and films uploaded by the users of the Cousteau Divers website, witnessing the state of our oceans today.

3. Cousteau: Underwater Settler & Sea Floor Pioneer

But Cousteau wanted more than to just film the ocean; he wanted to colonize it. Cousteau thought of the sea as a place to be colonized using craft similar to stations in space. Cousteau and his team created the first underwater habitat for humans: Conshelf I, which led to Conshelf II and III. The habitats could house working oceanauts for weeks at a time.Clark Lee Merriam, a spokesperson for the Cousteau Society told National Geographic “He was ahead of even the United States Navy, which was doing the same thing in proving people could live and operate underwater for extended periods of time.”

In 1963, Cousteau and four other men spent a month at 33 feet beneath the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt in an underwater settlement that included air conditioning and Plexiglas windows that showed ocean life swimming by.

His dreams of colonizing the ocean never materialized, but when Cousteau died in 1997, he was remembered as a passionate defender of the world’s oceans. The Cousteau Society, founded by Cousteau in 1973, continues to fight for the protection of the environment and natural resources.

 

You can learn more about  Jacques Cousteau, His Explorations & The Cousteau Society here

Now available on DVD, digitally enhanced from the original recordings, is the landmark TV series that cemented Jacques Cousteau’s international reputation as a trailblazing pioneer of underwater exploration and documentary filmmaking. Together with the crew of his ship, the Calypso, Cousteau travels the far reaches of the world, examining with respect and affection the wide varieties of life they encounter. From mammals such as dolphins, whales and seals to sharks, octopuses and the mysterious creatures of the ocean’s darkest depths, each episode of this groundbreaking 36-part series reveals new wonders of the natural world.

For trailers from the series of ground breaking documentaries, please click below:

The Silent World –Trailer 
‪

The World Without Sun – Trailer 

Voyage To The Edge Of The World – Trailer

Happy Birthday Sir Isaac Newton!

It’s Isaac Newton’s birthday. At least, it’s the anniversary of his birth – January 4, 1643, according the the Gregorian calendar.

If you’re a purist, you might have already marked the anniversary of his birth, on December 25th. As according to the Julian calendar, in use in England, at the time of his birth, the scientific great was born on Christmas Day, 1642. 

We’ve all heard the story. A young Isaac Newton is sitting beneath an apple tree contemplating the mysterious universe. Suddenly – boink! – an apple hits him on the head. “Aha!” he shouts, or perhaps, “Eureka!” In a flash, he experiences a stroke of brilliant insight & discovers the laws of gravity. Is the apple-falling business exactly what happened, or is it simply a mythical tale embellished by generations of story tellers over the course of time? In celebration of Sir Isaac Newton’s birthday, we decided to dig up one of our favorite e-news articles from the High Touch High Tech E-News Archives: “Newton’s Apple…The Real Story!” – We get to the core of the matter & investigate the truth behind the most famous apple in science! 

In addition to laying out the Laws of Motion, he also did innovative work on the properties of light, as can be seen in this Lego re-enactment. And of course the logo for Apple, Inc. would only have half the symbolism it does if it weren’t for him.

You can discover Newton’s famous contributions to science for yourself with this cool Laws of Motion Interactive! 

 

 

High Touch High Tech is the leader in innovative hands-on science and nature experiences for children, serving over 4 million children annually with 27 franchise locations across the United States, Canada, Turkey, Singapore and South Korea.To learn more about franchise opportunities with High Touch High Tech, visit us online at ScienceMadeFunFranchise.net.

Honoring The Two-Time Nobel Prize Winner Marie Curie On Her 144th Birthday!

 

To honor one of the most enduringly inspiring scientists ever to grace a lab, France and Poland declared 2011 to be the Year of Marie Curie.

Now, Google joins the welcome pageant of prominent tributes.

The California company’s search-engine home page on Nov. 7 celebrates the 144th anniversary of Madame Curie’s birth with a pastel-colored “Google Doodle” so evocative of her era.

Curie is the latest science figure to join Google’s pantheon of “Doodled” researchers, including Thomas Edison and “father of genetics” Gregor Mendel and “Vitamin C” scientist Albert Szent-Györgyi.

The laurels accorded Curie are numerous and still accumulating a century after she won her second Nobel Prize — the first of only two people ever to win the prize in multiple fields (the other being Linus Pauling). She was also the first woman ever to win the Nobel, and the first researcher to win in multiple sciences (physics and chemistry). But the breadth and depth and influence of her career — as well as the triumphs and tragedies of her life — paint a much fuller picture of the groundbreaking figure who in a 2009 New Scientist poll was voted “the most inspirational woman in science.”

Born in Warsaw in 1867 as Maria Sklodowska, Curie left her native Poland after she was deemed too poor to marry her would-be fiance, future esteemed mathematician Kazimierz Zorawski. So with her sister’s help, she relocated to France in the 1890s, studying at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and meeting her scientific “soulmate,” Pierre Curie. As they both studied the science of magnetism, they discovered, too, their own personal magnetic attraction.

Together, Marie and Pierre Curie did pioneering work in radioactivity (a term she coined), working with uranium, isolating radioactive isotopes and discovering the elements radium and polonium — the latter named for her native land.

The Curies shared in the 1903 Nobel for physics, bringing them fame as side by side, they grew their professional and personal lives. They had two daughters before Pierre’s untimely death when he was struck by a horse-drawn vehicle on a rainy street in 1906.

Rendered “wretched” and lonely by the tragedy, Marie Curie poured herself into her work, becoming the first woman to become a Sorbonne professor. In 1911, Curie received her second Nobel, this time for chemistry.

Several years later, during World War I, Curie helped set up mobile field hospitals that featured primitive X-ray equipment to help detect shrapnel in soldiers. She worked in the field with her teenage daughter Irene, who — with her husband, Frederic Joliot-Curie — would later win the 1935 chemistry Nobel for her work on artificial radioactivity.

Exposed to so many radioactive materials throughout her career, Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia in 1934.

In addition to her many honors, she founded the Curie Institutes in France and Poland; co-founded the Warsaw Radium Institute; and headed the Pasteur Institute.

Curie’s accomplishments in the lab led to her being interred (with her husband) at the Pantheon, Paris — the first woman so honored based on her work.

Curie helped forever change not only how science thought about radioactivity, but also how the world perceived women in science.

Happy birthday, Madame Curie.
Watch the Live Google Doodle Here