Around the country there are numerous science centers and museums, ranging in size from small to really large. All have one thing in common. They are all designed to educate kids and adults alike about science, and inspire our young to find the excitement in science and possibly find their way into careers in science and engineering.
We all know that kids need to learn about science. It is crucial that we train up a new generation of engineers and research scientists who will ensure that this country stay at the forefront in an area that is so important in this new technological world in which we live. But how do we get kids to be interested in science? Obviously, some kids have an innate curiosity about such things but for others... well... take my niece, for example. Start talking about science and her eyes roll back in her head as though I had just suggested we spend an afternoon watching paint dry.
For many years, while my own two children were in elementary school here in Michigan, I was the Dad in charge of scheduling school assemblies. I brought in a lot of different programs. The principal at the time was a really wise man named Jim Felix. Jim had been principal at our school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for many years. A tall, Gregory Peck kind of fellow, Jim had experience and wisdom to be envied by any young principal. Every year I would meet with him and go over the programs I was suggesting, and listen to him fill me in on anything good he had come across and we would decide which shows to bring in for the school. Jim was always interested in the science programs. He said he believed that part of the reason our school did so well in science scores was that every year we hit the kids with at least one and sometimes two different science assemblies. Good ones. Not glorified “magic” shows, but real science like chemistry, physics, astronomy and so on. And it did, indeed, show up in the science scores every year. The students really liked science and wanted to learn more.
That is the key to science assemblies. It isn’t what facts the kids actually learn in the assembly that is important. What is important is that they see that science is not boring, not dry, not something to be avoided, but rather how exciting it can be to witness chemical reactions, or the effects of Liquid Nitrogen or to ride on a hovercraft. What is important is to give them an enthusiasm for the subject which will allow skilled teachers to then fill their minds through classroom followups. Science assemblies are like can openers for the brain. They open up a young mind so the teachers can then fill it with all the good stuff kids need to learn.
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN.
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For many years, while my own two children were in elementary school here in Michigan, I was the Dad in charge of scheduling school assemblies. I brought in a lot of different programs. The principal at the time was a really wise man named Jim Felix. Jim had been principal at our school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for many years. A tall, Gregory Peck kind of fellow, Jim had experience and wisdom to be envied by any young principal. Every year I would meet with him and go over the programs I was suggesting, and listen to him fill me in on anything good he had come across and we would decide which shows to bring in for the school. Jim was always interested in the science programs. He said he believed that part of the reason our school did so well in science scores was that every year we hit the kids with at least one and sometimes two different science assemblies. Good ones. Not glorified “magic” shows, but real science like chemistry, physics, astronomy and so on. And it did, indeed, show up in the science scores every year. The students really liked science and wanted to learn more.
That is the key to science assemblies. It isn’t what facts the kids actually learn in the assembly that is important. What is important is that they see that science is not boring, not dry, not something to be avoided, but rather how exciting it can be to witness chemical reactions, or the effects of Liquid Nitrogen or to ride on a hovercraft. What is important is to give them an enthusiasm for the subject which will allow skilled teachers to then fill their minds through classroom followups. Science assemblies are like can openers for the brain. They open up a young mind so the teachers can then fill it with all the good stuff kids need to learn.
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN.
Spring is barely arriving, but it is not too soon to begin thinking about the summer. Kids will soon be out of school and underfoot! How do you keep them busy and yet keep their minds active, too? Sports are great in the summer but not all kids like sports, and some kids need a break from sports. The perfect answer is Summer Science Camps!
In 1957 the world was shaken up especially here in the United States when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. Americans panicked because the Soviets were beating us into space. President Kennedy called for a new national effort to propel us to the moon. Recently President Obama made reference to this moment in his State of the Union address, calling for a new “sputnik moment” in this country aimed at propelling us back to the top in terms of our economy and in particular in education. He referenced specifically the fields of science and math. Obviously, there is merit in his proposal. Other countries are quickly sliding by us through massive investments in education and a strong emphasis on the fields of math and science, areas destined to prove especially important in the high tech world we have entered. Science assemblies and science assembly programs are a perfect way to augment and enhance the teaching of science in our schools. Kids respond to demonstrations of science and better absorb and remember teachings imparted by way of exciting props and activities. All professionally performed educational science assemblies are beneficial in this regard. However, when seeking to enhance this “sputnik moment”, schools could hardly do better than a visit from a portable planetarium such as the Skydome Planetarium. Utilizing a huge silver dome capable of accommodating up to 100 students at a time, and featuring a state of the art Digitalis star projector, Skydome is as close an experience to visiting a traditional “brick and mortar” planetarium as it is possible to have. Students learn about the constellations, Greek Mythology, black holes, the phases of the Moon and all manner of other astronomical phenomena in a fast paced, exciting 50 minute science assembly inside the giant silver dome theatre. This great science assembly is very popular and we offer several tours. If you are in Michigan science assemblies such as this are available of course, as Michigan is Mobile Ed’s home. However, tours of our mobile planetarium travel across Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode island, Connecticut, Virginia, Georgia and all of the states Mobile Ed visits. Some of our very best science assembly presenters are engaged in these portable planetarium tours to insure the very best science assemblies are delivered to your school. If you are seeking a “sputnik moment” at your school, a science assembly is guaranteed to help and Skydome Planetarium is a sure fire way to go. To infinity and beyond!
