Blog
Safety Questions – PTC Paper
The STAO Safety Committee frequently responds to questions that Ontario teachers pose regarding safety in their science facilities. Here is a sample: Question Recently, the safety of PTC paper, used widely for demonstrating the ability to taste vs the inability to...
SciNews Mar 19
Cannabis and memory, vaccines, methane breakthrough, dark matter and the greenhouse effect - how's that for variety. This eclectic collection of current science news stories is brought to you by STAOBlog. SciNews is published every Monday and Thursday. Stay tuned for...
Inquiry in the Classroom
Written by Sumeet Ashat Beginning at a young age, you often see children who continuously “test the water”, so to say. You may also meet some children who consistently ask questions. “Why does this happen? When...
pH Rainbow Tube Demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT9le3AUI7E The lesson here is a good one and it applies to all your favorite demonstrations—they make terrific inquiry labs for your students! This video is part of the Flinn Scientific Best Practices for Teaching Chemistry Video...
Move Over WHMIS, Here Come’s GHS
What is the Globally Harmonized System (GHS)? According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, GHS stands for the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. GHS is a system that defines and classifies the hazards of...
SciNews Mar 16
Apples that don' brown, classical music helps the brain, science in the movies, galactic water and El Nino for 2015 - lots of great news stories to turn your kids onto science. This eclectic collection of current science news stories is brought to you by STAOBlog....
Test Your Knowledge With Our Pi Day Quiz – World Science Festival
Saturday, March 14 was the unofficial math holiday known as Pi Day. Celebrated throughout geekdom, Pi Day is so crowned because the first three digits of pi (3, 1, 4) are like the numeric representation for March 14 (3/14). This year it’s even more special because it...
Adopt A Tree (One Tree Through the Seasons)
Contributed by Les Asselstine. Help your students become more aware and knowledgeable about the natural environment in their community. This can be done by examining natural communities near fences, under logs, and in cracks of the pavement. One particularly good...
Infographic: Big Numbers Count – World Science Festival
Even if you’re not a mathematician trading daily in numbers of all manner, you deal with them regularly. Ever since humans have had to send ships, trade goods, track natural events, they’ve played an important role in a variety of activities. But they tend to be...
SciNews Mar 12
Risky vaccines, hormones that mimic exercise, masculinization of genitals, Mars and global warming stalled. You couldn't ask for a more eclectic collection of current science news stories for your science class. SciNews is published every Monday and Thursday. Stay...
Mythbusters – Thermite Vs. Ice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6cMmk8LZgQ Adam and Jamie test a myth that thermite can cause ice to explode.
Join the next Twitter #STAOchat on March 11th between 7 and 8 pm.
The topic is about “being a connected science educator” (or should it be about “being a science educator that connects”?). Join the STAO Social Media team as we discuss the implications of building and investing in a Personal and/or Professional Learning Network...