Back in the 1950s, Homer Hickam (author of Rocket Boys) and his band of rocketeers experimented with making rockets out of metal pipes, machine tooled nozzles, aerodymanic fins and, of course, a little gun powder. As parents and teachers, we love this kind of passion for learning, but we also need a safer alternative... like this air-powered launcher made out of PVC. The paper rocket is super easy to make and flies well over 300 feet (if you're a good designer).

Learn how to make the PVC Rocket Launcher

Read this... Kids are blogging about paper rockets

Learning about Newton's Laws of Motion is anything but boring. Grab a clear balloon and a penny and learn about interia and centripetal force (that's right... it's centripetal - not centrifugal). Once you've mastered the Spinning Penny demo, you'll need to move Netwon's Waiter Tray - a spinning tray of glasses. As you'll see in this video, everything went just fine until the spinning waiter's tray accidentally hit the lady's leg... and then the demo turned into flying glasses of water!

Have you ever wondered which brand of towel is the quicker picker upper, or which brand of sunscreen works best? Steve Spangler went on a field trip of sorts to visit some amazing science kids in Littleton who are wild about science.

You won't believe your eyes when you see what happens to ordinary pieces of Styrofoam when they come in contact with a solvent called acetone. They seem to just "disappear" like magic. In fact, the Styrofoam reacts with the solvent to reveal the fact that Styrofoam is made up of long strands of styrene molecules with lots of air pockets. This demonstration also reminds us about the importance of reducing our use of Styrofoam and replacing it with more Earth-friendly packing materials.

Combine two parts hydrogen with one part oxygen and you get water and a little energy. Unlike traditional hydrocarbon fuels, hydrogen and oxygen do not produce any bad bi-products for the environment. This is an incredible, renewable source of energy and is the thinking behind hydrocars.

Steve continues to make Ellen laugh with his clever science demos. His fourth appearance on April 15th filled with exploding “fire water,” gooey polymers, tricks to play at the restaurant and a studio filled with flying potatoes. This is not the normal science lesson that most kids get in school…

While the Landolt Clock Reaction may be a classic chemistry lesson, it is far from a boring science experiment! Prepare to amaze your audience by turning a clear liquid into an inky black substance just by mixing and pouring the “secret” solutions. You may think this awesome reaction is magical but read on for a fascinating science lesson.

When you picture a tornado, most of us imagine a whirling column of air poking down from the clouds. But this tornado-like effect is not limited to just the air. A fire tornado or fire whirl is just like a tornado but it's made of fire. As the heated air from the fire rises, strong air currents (often whipping through the trees) cause the air molecules to spin (often referred to as angular or rotational momentum) which shapes the flame into the shape of a tornado.

It's a brand new tie dye technique without the mess... and the results are amazing! This activity combines chemistry and art to create a designer t-shirt that is sure to get lots of attention whenever you wear it.

There’s just something strange about a gold penny. First of all, gold pennies don’t exist… unless you’re a 20th-century alchemist who knows something about the science of alloys. Modern day alchemists, cleverly disguised as chemistry teachers, often share the secret of making gold pennies. Students take home an unforgettable lesson in alloys and a keepsake penny that can never be put back into circulation – even though it’s a “gold” penny, the US Treasury has a little problem with people buying something with gold pennies.