March may be fickle as far as weather goes, but it’s a month full of great teaching ideas. Of course there is Dr. Seuss’s birthday, Johnny Appleseed’s birthday, the first day of Spring, and St. Patrick’s Day. We figure you have those covered. But if you want some new inspiration, we’ve got some other fun things for you to think about too!

Did you know that March 13 was the day the planet Uranus was discovered? How about some interesting facts about this planet? For example Uranus is the coldest planet in the Solar System. It also makes one trip around the Sun every 84 Earth years. During some parts of its orbit, one or the other of its poles point directly at the Sun and get about 42 years of direct sunlight! The rest of the time they are in darkness. http://space-facts.com/uranus/

Or how about celebrating Albert Einstein’s birthday on March 14? Have a “no socks day.” Part of Einstein's charm was his disheveled look. In addition to his uncombed hair, one of Einstein's peculiar habits was to never wear socks. Whether it was while sailing, or to a formal dinner at the White House, Einstein refused to wear socks. To Einstein, socks were a pain because they often would get holes in them. Plus, why wear both socks and shoes when one of them would do just fine?

Did you know the third week of March is American Chocolate Week? Try the Quirkles’ “Vinnie Volcano’s Chocolate Meltdown.” Not only does this illustrate how rocks melt, it also allows for a tasty way to measure different melting times. Try dark chocolate, white chocolate and milk chocolate. Graph the results.

Not healthy enough? (We’d beg to differ!) It’s also broccoli month. Read Botanist Bert and learn how Bennie Bear confuses broccoli for a very bizarre basketball. (Yes, you can tie in some Johnny Appleseed activities to this lesson too!)

And if that’s not enough, March 30 is National Pencil Day. Like so many technologies we take for granted, imagine life without the pencil. Do you know your pencil trivia? Beloved author Roald Dahl used only pencils with yellow casing to write his books. He had six sharpened pencils ready at the beginning of each day and only when all six became unusable did he re-sharpen them. Speaking of yellow, do you know why most pencils are yellow? Check this out and other trivia here: http://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-pencil-day-march-30/

As for Quirkles activities, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity St. Patrick’s Day offers. How about a lesson in color mixing (Colorful Caroline) to come up with St. Patty’s favorite color green? Or take a look at our water absorbing “Pot of Gold” activity. And of course we had to make a leprechaun’s potion for you to share! These and all our other fun experiments can be found via our e-newsletter/website resource pages or on our Quirkles® YouTube channel!

Happy March teaching!

February might be the shortest month of the year, but it’s certainly not one short on activities or things to commemorate. We’ve got Ground Hog’s Day, the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and President’s Day just to name a few. It’s also Black History Month and National Heart Month.

In our part of the world, February is also one of the coldest months. This month we talk about static electricity, which is more prevalent in winter because the air is typically drier. Also people  wear more layers of clothing, which have the potential to rub against each other, causing charge separation. Read the “hair raising” story of Ellie Electricity and watch our video as the children create “Ellie’s Wild Hair.”

Speaking of hair, and in conjunction with Black History Month, learn about Madame C.J. Walker (Sarah Breedlove). She was born in 1867, near Delta, Louisiana. After suffering from a scalp ailment that resulted in her own hair loss, she invented a line of African-American hair care products in 1905. She promoted her products by traveling around the country and eventually established Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories to manufacture cosmetics and train sales beauticians. Her savvy business prowess led her to be one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire.

The Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company was wildly successful, with profits that were the modern-day equivalent of several million dollars. An innovator, Walker organized clubs and conventions for her representatives, which recognized not only successful sales, but also philanthropic and educational efforts among African-Americans.

In 1916, Walker moved to Harlem. From there, she would continue to operate her business, while leaving the day-to-day operations of her factory in Indianapolis to its forelady.

Walker quickly immersed herself in Harlem's social and political culture. She founded philanthropies that included educational scholarships and donations to homes for the elderly, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and other organizations focused on improving the lives of African-Americans. She also donated the largest amount of money by an African-American toward the construction of an Indianapolis YMCA in 1913.

So here’s to February! Enjoy all the special things about February, the days, the people and the science!

We just couldn’t pass up a St. Patrick’s Day science teaching opportunity. This month we make a “leprechaun’s potion” for you to share. Check this and all the other fun experiments out via our newsletter archives or Quirkles® YouTube channel!

Read the “hair raising” story of Ellie Electricity and watch our video as the children create “Ellie’s Wild Hair.”