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The Raves
Salem students learn about magical world of
"Wacky Science"
May 29, 2003 page 3A
By Anna Troppens
Staff WriterMagic...or science? Doug Scheer of Scheer Genius Productions, Commerce Township, showed Salem Elementary students how science can seem magical in an assembly Friday in the school gym. He demonstrated how household items could be used to do things that appear amazing and even impossible, as when he used a hairdryer to keep a ping pong ball afloat in the air. The air pressure under the ball is stronger and pushes the ball into the air. The same principle, discovered by a scientist named Bernoulli, allows airplanes to fly. "But they don’t have big hairdryers at airports," Scheer said.
He generates lots of laughter from the children and their teachers as he moved through his fast-paced, one-hour program. Fourth grader Cyndi Law’s favorite portion of the show was when Scheer demonstrated how one person could lift three other people, using a shaft balanced on a fulcrum to make a teeter tooter.
The farther away from the fulcrum the first person stands, the more weight on the other side of the fulcrum he or she can lift.
Scheer also taught students the difference between life science and physical science - "the really boring (but very amusing) part of today’s show." Then, he had the children decide whether a life scientist of a physical scientist would study three objects on posters held by student volunteers. Life scientists, as the pupils correctly answered, study living things, while physical scientists study "everything else."
Using four students who pretended to be stinky dinosaurs, Scheer gave the girls containers of pink "bathwater," while the boys had clear bathwater. The fourth "dinosaur" took a long time with his bath, playing with his rubber ducky to hysterical results.
When the first three containers of water were poured together into a pitcher, the pink water turned clear. But when the fourth container of liquid was added, the water turned pink again.
The secret to the trick was chemistry. The pitcher had ammonia in it, Scheer said. A chemical reaction between the
ammonia and an indicator, or substance that shows the presence of an acid or a base, created the pink bathwater for the female "dinosaurs."
But the bathwater of the fourth dinosaur, which was kept separate until the end, had vinegar in it. When the vinegar was added to the water with ammonia in it, the liquid turned clear again.
With other jokes and experiments disguised in goofy antics, Scheer taught the students about other aspects of science, including the scientific method and optical illusions. Donald Harrington, a second grader, enjoyed the science experiments in the assembly, and said, "It was very good."
Fourth grade teacher, Susan Hariton spent the 45 minutes furiously taking notes. "I’ll be able to use much of (Scheer’s) information in my classroom," she said. "I just can’t compete with his energy though."
At the end, Scheer said he had good news for everyone.
"You don’t need me to do science experiments for you," he said. I learned everything you saw from a library book."
Parents can help their children find the household items they need in order to perform experiments, and they can watch and help. Scheer emphasized the need to be careful while carrying out the experiments.
"If you’re not being safe, you’re not being a scientist," he said.
In a typical week, he travels to10 elementary schools in Michigan and sometimes to northern Ohio. Scheer has 10 shows, including the "Pollution Solution Ecology Show," "Spooktacular Halloween," "The Laugh Factory," "Memory Madness" and "Adventures in Reading."
See his website, www.assemblyshows.com.
Need more information? Give us a call. There’s a school in your district that’s already seen these programs.
We’ll just let them brag for us.
