An open letter from our founder

Dear teachers, school and camp directors, and parents,

On behalf of all our High Touch High Tech scientists across the nation, and around the world, I would like to thank you all for boldly pursuing our science experiences for your students and children.

This has been a very challenging year for us all. Our passionate scientists will continue to inspire our children to become the next generation of scientists that will develop the lifesaving vaccines and medications that have made the end of this pandemic tangible.

The pandemic certainly changed how we engage with your students, driven by our desire to stimulate imagination and curiosity, we took our unique and inspiring programs and pivoted to deliver them as science kits to the students. Our scientist would then lead the science experience adventure by Zoom. While our fun scientists enjoyed the Zoom delivery of our programs, we are all anxious to work with students in person, and watch their faces light up with discovery. While this pivot is working well, we are all looking forward to bringing our hands-on science experiences back into the classroom.

As I have long said, our High Touch High Tech programs can be delivered anywhere learners are and can engage in exciting ways to learn. Because of this we can stimulate young minds, activate new curiosity, and nurture budding imaginations. This has been our approach for the last 29 years. We all have seen that following the science is bringing us out of this pandemic, and sparking curiosity among your students and future scientists assures us the world will continue to become a better place.

Scientifically yours,

Daniel “Dinosaur Dan” Shaw

Founder, High Touch High Tech

The scientist is motivated primarily by curiosity and a desire for truth.

Playful Learning

Playful Learning: The Role it Plays in Education

Children of all cultures and backgrounds play. Play is omnipresent in the developing minds of children, as well as young animals. Play is an agent that promotes early brain development, strengthens language skills, the executive functions of memory and attention, mathematics and spatial skills, scientific thinking, and emotional development. There is an evident correlation between play and cognitive progression, which grants breakthroughs in conducting education.

Guided play maintains the free and fun aspects of play, while focusing on education goals, fostering an opportunity for imaginative exploration. For children, play and activity is about make-believe, discovery, amusement, and socialization. The difference between free and guided play is gentle adult guidance to lead towards the learning goal, while allowing the creativity to be nurtured. This innovative approach to making learning an active experience has shown to be a successful pedagogical tool in a variety of subjects, particularly mathematics and science.

Parents, educators, and policy makers want to ensure that today’s youth will grow into tomorrow’s successful adults. The time for childhood development is short, and the expectations are increasingly high. Traditional learning is direct instruction, typically using flash cards, repetitive lessons, and over explanation with a lack of discovery. Playful learning through guided play supports children taking a lead in their instruction, while being directed to the points and concepts that are vital to education standards and goals. Current and expanding research shows that guided play provides and delivers the same outcomes in children’s learning as traditional teaching, while being a more effective teaching tool.

Research finds that children who engage in guided play activities were more likely to learn target information. Additionally, they are more likely to retain abstract themes than the children who were given direct instruction, while children engaging in free play, without any adult support, overall are less likely to stumble upon the same realizations. A study with preschool aged children taught about shapes using guided play, free play, and conventional instruction. The children who engaged in guided play lesson were able to identify more atypical shapes than those who participated in direct lessons, and more shapes overall than those who participated in free play. The role of adults in guided play is to support the children’s choices, asking open-ended questions to gently shape behavior without controlling it.

Here at High Touch High Tech, we see the value of a hands-on, discovery style of learning. Each day we get to see students come to realizations, all the while using an active imagination. Teachers and the curriculum they abide by have yet to admit guided play and aren’t given the tools to do so. Our students lead in their own education, and it provides them an autonomy of their actions. Students are just learning how the world operates by using their imagination to dream of the possibilities and discovering new information each day. STEM education is the key to making sense of our world, thus being the single greatest influence on the innovations which will change the world.

High Touch High Tech

800.444.4968

Info@ScienceMadeFun.net

Thank You!

We all know that teachers lead hectic lives. Grading papers at every opportunity, developing lesson plans, investing their hearts into their students’ success. Here at High Touch High Tech, we have the opportunity of coming into your classroom to teach your students about science and understand this is no small accomplishment. We get to inspire, explore, and engage with your students while you get to sit back and watch. That is a small way that we can thank you for all that you do for our children, and next generation.

Every day you are patient, understanding, thoughtful and energetic, even on the toughest days. Thank you!

You buy school supplies with your own money, decorate classrooms with your own supplies and volunteer your time even when there’s no time to spare! Thank you!

You don’t always get to eat lunch. At times you have recess duty, or car rider duty when it’s unpleasant outside. All after a long day, when all you want to do is finally go home. Thank you!

You stay up late grading papers, preparing for tomorrows assignments when just want to go to sleep. Thank you!

Teaching is a commitment to help with the development of your students’ curiosity and interest in learning. High Touch High Tech is also committed in keeping student’s curiosity and interest in learning. Combining those two commitments together is success for a child!

“Without teacher appreciation there can’t be any student progress.” Quote by Theresa Grim.

Thank you for being that Teacher!

Difference Makers

At this moment, somewhere around the world there is a High Touch High Tech instructor teaching a group of excited children! They are delivering “hands-on” science programs that encourage fun learning in an innovative way. Providing these types of services brings joy to students, instructors, and faculty. This joy and excitement are why High Tough High Tech so successful today. All educators play a very important role in a developing child’s social and academic life. They are providing knowledge, applicable skills, and guidance to their student’s day in and day out. There is a sense of fulfillment that is associated with making a difference for the better in your students’ lives. We at High Touch High Tech, and all educators, are difference makers.

From kindergarten to medical school, instructors hold a vital role in a student’s academic journey. A teacher is a person who aids in acquiring knowledge, competence, or virtue. They educate on basic academics in various topics and studies around the world, working with students individually or in larger groups. Teachers are often willing to “go the extra” mile to ensure a student’s success.

Teachers serve as important role models, teaching students to be social and productive members of society. They encourage positively and creativity, making it their goal to motivate and inspire students to be interested and invested in their education. Educators help develop valuable skills within a student and actively engage in their academic strengths and weaknesses.

High Touch High Tech is honored and privileged to be an education provider for the last 25 years! We have been able to share this practice and message all around the world. We have been able to assist many learning intuitions, families and students by providing them the opportunity to participate in what we value the most; making a difference in a student’s life by valuing, engaging, and nurturing their academic milestones. Our role in the lives of our students is our greatest contribution to the world.

High Touch High Tech

800.444.4968

info@ScienceMadeFun.net

Source: www.pearsonedu.com

Source: pixabay.com

High Touch High Tech Launches New KIDS Website

High Touch High Tech is pleased to announce the launch of our new website

www.ScienceMadeFunKids.net

Designed with kids in mind, this website is colorful, FUN and interactive. Children will enjoy the animated characters and sound effects while answering science trivia questions, giggling at science jokes and rolling up their sleeves to complete science experiments in their very own home!

We are excited to offer this new resource to teachers, camp directors, pre-school directors, afterschool coordinators and parents as a safe place for children to visit online that provides both entertainment and education.

High Touch High Tech science education franchises have been fueling the imaginations of children everywhere, since 1994, by providing FUN, interactive, hands-on science and nature experiences. Through discovery style learning and inquiry based dialogue, children are engaged in exciting programs that encourage them to explore the many wonders of science. High Touch High Tech serves over 4 million participants annually across more than 750 school districts in 5 countries. For more information about Hight Touch High Tech – Science Made Fun, visit our website at www.ScienceMadeFun.net.

Starry Starry Night: Our Expanding Universe

What are Galaxies?

Did you know that galaxies are the vast islands of stars filling space? Our own spiral-shaped Milky Way, parts of which can be seen on clear nights streaking across the sky, contain hundreds of billions of stars.

Here Are 3 Fun Facts about Galaxies:

The word ‘galaxy’ is derived from the Greek word galaxias which means “milky”, it is a reference to our own galaxy the Milky Way.
There are potentially more than 170 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Some, called dwarf galaxies, are small with about 10 million stars, while others are huge containing an estimated 100 trillion stars.
Based on shape astronomers have identified various kinds of galaxies including, elliptical galaxies, spiral galaxies, lenticular galaxies, and irregular galaxies.

Can you Identify These Galaxies??

Spiral galaxies are rotating flattened disk-shapes with at least two spiral arms of newer stars extending out from a central bulge of older stars. The dense molecular clouds of hydrogen gas and dust in the spiral arms of spiral galaxies are areas of intense star formation.
See a sample image here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap031103.html
Barred spiral galaxies (like our Milky Way) contain a long bar in the middle with spiral arms coming off the ends. Around two-thirds of spiral galaxies contain a barred structure in their center.
See a sample image here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181009.html
Elliptical galaxies are a mass of stars bunched together in the shape of an elliptical disk.
See a sample image here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060520.html
A lenticular galaxy is a type of galaxyintermediate between an elliptical and a spiral galaxy in classification schemes. It contains a large-scale disc but does not have large-scale spiral arms.
See a sample image here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020408.html
Irregular galaxies are any galaxy that has no obvious spiral or elliptical structure. Some irregular galaxies would have just formed that way while others are the result of other galaxy types crashing into each other.
See a sample image here: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180921.html

Join our HTHT @ Home Science Experiment to make your own Expanding Universe:
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/Space%20Case_EOTD_May%208th.pdf

Energy Ed and Micro Grants

Thank you to the Asheville City Schools Foundation for giving High Touch High Tech a shout out to all their teachers recently! There are some grants that are available to teachers and the foundation was kind enough to suggest HTHT as a way to use the funds. What a great way to supplement science in the classrooms! Thank you again to Asheville City Schools and the foundation to their support of HTHT! Happy New Year and here is to a great start!