STEM with Dr. Owl

Kids will discover the real-world physics, math, and human biology behind why stopping a high-speed soccer penalty kick is so incredibly difficult. Learn exactly how fast the human brain can react to a 67-mile-per-hour ball and how goalkeepers use visual clues to predict the future. Join the team for a high-speed clapping experiment to test your reaction time and find out if you have what it takes to make a World Cup save! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: LS1.D – Information Processing

Children will learn the physics of the Magnus effect, aerodynamics, and how air pressure causes a spinning soccer ball to bend in flight. Join Emma and Dr. Owl as they investigate a mind-bending World Cup free kick while Ziggy tries to invent the ultimate knuckleball! Discover why a spinning ball creates an uneven push in the air to make a magical, curving shot. Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: PS2.A – Forces and Motion

Children will discover the science behind droughts, evaporation, and the water cycle as they learn what happens when the Earth's natural water supply runs low. Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy the Robot as they investigate a crunchy, brown backyard to solve the mystery of the missing water. Find out how plants sweat, where the mountains hide their frozen water, and how you can become an Earth water detective! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: ESS2.C – The Roles of Water in Earth's Surface Processes

Discover the science behind what everyday things are made of in this exciting mailbag episode! Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they rapidly answer listener questions about the materials that make up our world, including the secrets of marker ink, how sand becomes glass, the origins of metal, and the difference between cement and concrete. 

Discover the fascinating plant biology and science behind how maple trees produce sweet, sticky syrup. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy the Robot as they brave a freezing spring forest to investigate how trees store sugar from photosynthesis and use freeze-thaw cycles to push out watery sap. You will also find out exactly how much sap needs to be boiled down just to get enough syrup for Ziggy's giant stack of pancakes! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: LS1.C – Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

Children will learn the foundational concepts of astronomy and gravity by discovering how space detectives locate invisible black holes in the universe. Join Dr. Owl, Curious Emma, and Ziggy the Robot as they bust the myth of giant space vacuum cleaners, learn what happens when you squeeze a mountain into a marble, and explore the ultimate point of no return! It is an out-of-this-world adventure packed with fun trivia and mind-bending science facts. Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: ESS1.A – The Universe and Its Stars

Discover how volcanoes work, the difference between magma and lava, and why immense underground pressure creates volcanic eruptions. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they shake up a fizzy soda experiment to understand how sticky and runny lava shapes our planet. Along the way, explore how these fiery mountains act as Earth's safety valve and build brand-new islands! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: ESS2.A – Earth Materials and Systems

Kids will discover the science behind how bubbles form, the role of soapy surface tension, and the physics of why they always shape into spheres. Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy the Robot as they explore why bubbles float on air currents, where their swirling rainbow colors come from, and exactly what causes them to pop. Try the fun wet-finger experiment at home and see if Ziggy can ever make a square bubble! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: PS1.A – Structure and Properties of Matter

Learn the science behind how warm ocean water, rising moisture, and Earth's rotation combine to create massive hurricanes. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they build a mini-ocean experiment, discover the quiet "eye" of the storm, and find out the difference between a storm surge and a tsunami! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: ESS2.D – Weather and Climate

Discover the science behind the fog, the math of Pi, and even what bugs eat in our very first summer mailbag episode! Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they rapidly answer listener questions about weather patterns, human biology, history, and the secret geometry hidden in every circle. From the shape of flags to why we need to trim our nails, we are clearing out the inbox with fun facts and silly robotic sound effects. Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: ESS2.D – Weather and Climate