February 2020 - High Touch High Tech

25 Years of Prioritizing Education

The focus on education is ever increasing. In our
technological, fast paced world, the focus on providing a well-rounded, ample
education is critical. To develop into intelligent, innovated adults, the
foundation of education must be engaging and copious.

Lifelong success begins early. Studies have shown that
children who enter the K-12 system unprepared rarely catch up to their peers.
The effects of early education are sustained into adulthood. Children having
participated in high quality preschool and elementary programs yielding better
academic achievements, increased employment and earnings, as well as reduced
crime and delinquency. Investments in early childhood educations have the
highest return-on-investment, seeing a return rate of 15-17% each year.

For students to perform at a competitive level, STEM
literacy in early education must be highlighted. STEM education teaches much
more than science and mathematics. By focusing on hands-on learning, students
can comprehend real world situations while developing problem solving,
leadership, critical thinking and creative thinking skills.

By instilling creative and critical thinking at a young age,
we establish a basis of innovation. Innovation is critical to building a
better, safer world. High Touch High Tech has worked for over 25 years to
establish early STEM education as a priority around the world. The foundation
of an enriching science education will propel modernization and minds on the
cutting edge.

High Touch High Tech
offers programs to satisfy all STEM domains for students of preschool to middle
school ages. Our mission of STEM literacy in early education was founded more
than 25 years ago, and research continues to prove our approach to be most
effective. Future scientists will
remember High Touch High Tech as their science inspiration.

25 Years of Slime

In recent years, the slime trend has taken the internet by
storm. There are over 13 million posts with #Slime on Instagram! This trend has
even been responsible for glue shortages at craft stores around the world!

High Touch High Tech brought slime to students 25 years ago!
We were the original slime makers!

How is slime made? What makes slime so slimy? Science, of
course! To understand how this non-Newtonian fluid is created, we must
understand a little bit of chemistry. A non-Newtonian fluid is a substance that
is neither a liquid nor a solid! Slime will ooze out of your hands like a
liquid but can be picked up like a solid!

What makes slime so stretchy? We can thank polymers for
slime’s gooey, oozy qualities! Polymers are substances that are made of several
repeating until, these units joining like train cars! To create these polymers,
you must make the chemical reaction to create these polymers! Polymerization,
the chemical reaction that creates a polymer, happens when you mix all the
slime ingredients together!

In our ChemFun program, students are introduced to the world
of chemistry! Your students will become chemists, exploring chemical reactions.
They’ll even get to take home their very own slime!

For more than 25 years, High Touch High Tech has brought
students hands-on science! Throughout the years slime has been a fan favorite,
with a ‘how it works’ lesson at the very core!

Adapting to Territorial Education Standards

For over 25 years High Touch High Tech has served as a
partner and resource to teachers in reaching their education curriculum
initiatives. Our programming adapts to the NGSS (Next Generation Science
Standards) as well as the state curriculum standards of our franchise
locations.

Educators and program directors feel confident in recruiting
High Touch High Tech that their students are being amply prepared by the
standards they are expected. The bar for teachers is ever-increasing. Reaching
the advancing education requirements is priority of ours, as for teachers.

Contact your local High Touch High Tech location to see
which programs satisfy your current lesson plan initiatives!

Celebrating the Contributions of Black Scientists, Inventors, and Engineers

“Freedom Sun(g)” photo by Jennifer Rangubphai taken at The George Washington Carver Museum

Black History Month is celebrated
each February, recognizing the role that African Americans have served in U.S.
History. Generations of African Americans faced relentless adversity and their
achievements often went overlooked. Many African American scientists,
inventors, and engineers developed inventions that helped to advance human
history and to make our lives healthier and happier. Let’s learn more about
some of these amazing black scientists!

One of the most famous black
inventors is George Washington Carver. Carver is often called the Peanut Man,
having developed over 300 products using the peanut! These peanut inventions
include shampoo, shaving cream, animal feed, dyes, and paper! Contrary to
popular belief, Carver did not invent peanut butter. He did help to popularize
peanuts with the American public by encouraging use of peanuts to make soaps,
axle greases, insecticides, medications, glue, and frying oil!

Mae Jemison was the first African
American woman in space, spending 190 hours, 30 minutes, and 23 seconds in
orbit. Jemison has degrees in chemical engineering, African American studies,
and even a medical doctorate! After Mae Jemison’s career at NASA, she founded
her own company that seeks to develop a love for science in students and helps
to bring cutting-edge technology to underprivileged schools around the world!

“My parents were the best scientists I knew, because they
were always asking questions.” – Mae Jemison

Garrett Morgan was another
trailblazing black inventor. He developed the original traffic signal, a
hair-straightening product, and even the first gas mask! Morgan’s breathing
device, called the “safety hood,” allowed wearers a safe breathing experience
free of smoke, gases, and other pollutants! Originally marketing this breathing
apparatus to fire departments, this gas mask was later built upon to provide
World War I soldiers from the toxic mustard gas being used in warfare. Though
Morgan’s gas mask saved many lives, his business was affected by the racial
discrimination of the time. Many people refused to buy his products due to the
fact he was African American. Morgan’s inventions saved many lives, from
firefighters and soldiers, to all vehicle operators and occupants!

Through education and a passion for
science, these black inventors and many others have greatly contributed to
advancing the life quality of people around the world. STEM education is the
key to unlock a better world, and reaching underrepresented communities draws a
unique perspective. Without black scientists there would be no elevators, air
conditioning, refrigerators, fire extinguishers, or electric light bulbs. High Touch High Tech’s hands-on, STEM
education model reaches over 16 million students in 11 countries each year. We
pride ourselves on reaching the underrepresented in the STEM fields, and dream
of a world of diverse scientists.

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk

When you hear the word milk what do you imagine? A cold
glass of white, opaque liquid waiting for you to drink; maybe dip a cookie
in. The milk you probably picture comes
from a cow, but milk can come from many different animals OR be plant-based.
Milk doesn’t always equal dairy.

Milk technically is classified as an emulsified colloid.
That is just a fancy way of saying that fat and protein globules are suspended
in water. Milk is opaque because the
solution is balanced, which means the globules are floating evenly throughout
without sticking together in one place!

All mammals secrete milk from their mammary glands for their
babies, which means that everything from cows to blue whales produces milk!
Milk production for their young is one of the main features of mammals. Do we
drink whale milk? No, but humans consume milk from a variety of animals. You probably have had cow’s milk, but what
about goat or camel? There are parts of the world where both of those are also
common!

Something that has gained popularity in the past few years
is plant-based milk, which could include almond, coconut, cashew, soy or oat
milks. Remember how I explained that milk is essentially globules of floating
protein? Well these plant seeds can be transformed into milk by simply putting
them into solution. For instance, to
make almond milk all you have to do is soak almonds, blend them with water, and
strain. You could also pick some up at
the store!

We all drank our mother’s milk (or formula) for at least the
first year of our lives, but what is the benefit of consuming milk when we’re
older? Milk is a great source of fat and protein for a growing child, but can
also be a great source of calcium for strong bones. Dairy milk for a long time seemed to be the
main go-to for consumers, but trends are leaning more towards these plant-based
milks. Plant-based milks are suitable
for vegans, more environmentally friendly, more climate friendly, and great for
anyone who is lactose-intolerant. They also can be a great source of calcium
and other nutrients without the sugar you find in milk.

Lactose is a type of sugar (a disaccharide composed of glucose and galactose) and is the primary carbohydrate in the milk of mammals. All mammal milk has it but it can vary from animal to animal. Cows’ milk, for example, has 12g/cup and goats’ milk has 9g/cup of lactose. Lactase, an enzyme produced in our intestines, is what helps our bodies break lactose down into digestible sugars. If someone lacks lactase, they won’t be able to digest the lactose, which may lead to digestive trouble. Lactose intolerance can develop at any point in your life and some cultures have a high rate of lactose intolerance since a lot of their cuisine doesn’t include dairy.

Will you follow the trend and switch to plant milk? Or stick with traditional dairy?

25 Years of Hands-On Scientist Training

“I hear and I forgot. I see and I remember. I do and I
understand.”

High Touch High Tech believes in hands-on education. We
believe that is the only way to learn science. Afterall, High Touch is in our
name!

At High Touch High Tech, we take our hands-on education
approach to training our scientists. Teachers and parents can schedule our
programs and feel confident knowing our scientists know the material, have
in-the-classroom experience, and want your students to take inspiration away
from our lessons!

We look for scientists with a passion for education, working
with children, and with science backgrounds! Our scientists really are
scientists!

While training our to-be-scientists in classrooms, they’re
allowed to develop the critical thinking skills and real-world knowledge to
adapt to your classroom. If there are disciplinary issues, innovative student
questions, or any other wavering factors, you can be sure that our scientists
will handle the situation with grace and experience!

High Touch High Tech has brought STEM education to students
for over 25 years, reaching more than 16 million students each year! Our
hands-on approach to your students education is what we practice across the
board, because it’s the only way to learn!