Bringing Scientific Fun to Colorado's Front Range...

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Cool Science is all about making science cool for kids, just like music, art or sports.  Our volunteers do this by bringing a wide variety of fun and engaging hands-on science activities year-round  to schools, libraries and other public venues throughout eastern Colorado.

What differentiates us from many other groups is that our leaders and key volunteers are actual scientists, engineers, or educators.  Browse our  website to find out more about what we do and how we can bring Cool Science to you!  You can also download our informational flyer.

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Hey folks – this is a positive thing that costs the taxpayer nothing and makes our kids love science! I am a good friend of one of the founders and if you are in the area, and have some science to share with a child, check this out.

Also, get involved in your local area.

I am not a geologist, but I lead local teams of kids on walks through my local areas on the geology. We do a gold panning day in muddy creek PA each year, and most kids come up with a speck or two. They get all excited and want to know more. I always say “you have to know the geology to find it.” They are now on the science path.

My youngest kid just graduated from basic training this weekend at FT Stewart. No more kids around the house. I a proud, but sad. It is the end of an era of kids in the house, backpacking with a crew on the Appalachian Trail with an army of small guys, teaching the kids to play nice, and knowing when to stay out of their business.

On fathers day I got 15 “thanks dad” texts. I only have two boys. I guess that is not right. I have at least 15. The oldest is 34.

Karma is not always a bitch. Get involved.

a reply to: Havamal

You find flakes of gold in Muddy Creek? The Muddy Creek in Northern Lancaster County?

a reply to: Havamal

sounds like you did it right. Be proud of that, you earned it. Those kids will all share what you taught them to the kids that look up to them.

a reply to: Havamal

Programs like that are awesome for kids. Back when i was a cool scientist, we did a bunch of education days at schools or other venues. The kids always loved it. The teachers always seemed to appreciate it because they got to chill.

I still remember one of.the coolest things we seen. There was one class that had these two boys that the usual sarcastic, talkative, didn't seem like they were paying attention. The.next day we were heading home on the ferry, there was a kids soccer team on the ferry, sure enough,.there's the mouthy kids standing around their soccer friends talking about all the cool stuff they learned from us.

Makes you smile when you see something like that.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: Havamal

You find flakes of gold in Muddy Creek? The Muddy Creek in Northern Lancaster County?

York County. Not telling you where the black sands are. They are for the kids. And it is a minor tracer anyway. Hint: follow the big seam of quartz to the next bend.

originally posted by: Havamal

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: Havamal

You find flakes of gold in Muddy Creek? The Muddy Creek in Northern Lancaster County?

York County. Not telling you where the black sands arr. They are for the kids. And it is a minor tracer anyway. Hint: follow the big seam of quartz to the next bend.

I'm not looking for gold, just curious. I live in Reading, Berks County.

a reply to: butcherguy

Nice country. Central Pa is so wonderful. Opps. No it is really bad. We are full. don't ever come here. We all are sick...

a reply to: Havamal

Thank you for sharing!

I would much rather kids fall in love with the method we use in science rather than the Institution of "what we think we know," but Im inclined to be a fan anyway.

I believe that there can be beneficial inculcation of the method itself and that it can be applied by anyone on pretty much any endeavor. From learning martial arts to building rockets. Of course, the process of the method itself has become a bit mangled in the same way as so many things.

ETA: As an example with the cake catapults.. I would design the event to be significantly more open ended. I would tell them that they have to get the cakes from "here" to "at least there," and make the lower distance well outside of throwing range so they needed to create the tools. Then.. just let their imaginations run wild but directed towards a specific goal.

I particularly support anything that gets kids out of the house and actually doing stuff though. Even moreso if its out in nature and getting their hands dirty!

a reply to: network dude

You don't get a manual on how to be a dad. I guess I just did stuff with my kids and their friends that my dad with with me. Part of that was getting to know know their friends, and helping them do things that only an adult could do - like backpacking trips, going to the shore, taking them hunting and fishing.

My dad made time for me and my friends. It always stuck with me. I paid it back. Most of the kids turned out ok. At least one older guy spent some time with them. Some didn't have dads who participated. Sad that their dads missed out on what is almost better for the adults than it is for the kids.

a reply to: Serdgiam

If you are just interested in "what we know," and not "how we learned it," then you missed the point of science. It is a method, not an outcome.

Anyone who does (or has done) science knows it is a process, not a product.

I have a BS from a pretty good university. I graduated in the 1980's . OK, masters in the 1990's. Do I go back to my old texts to see what they think, or read current journals? I never quit studying some areas. Others, not so much.

Science never sleeps.

a reply to: Havamal

I know, I know.. I blasphemed The Great Science and you jumped to conclusions without using any process ;P

But might I suggest you didnt understand my point?

I still support endeavors like this. I just think we could have an even better approach.

I will say with absolute certainty that there is value in both the old texts and the new though.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

originally posted by: Havamal
I am not a geologist, but I lead local teams of kids on walks through my local areas on the geology. We do a gold panning day in muddy creek PA each year, and most kids come up with a speck or two.

Have you ever thought about scaling this up and keeping their findings?

a reply to: Serdgiam

Sorry I mis-understood. Not trying to start a fight here, just trying to let folks know there are opportunities to interact with kids in a positive way.

Once again, sorry if I offended.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

It is all placer from long gone mountains.

The Appalachian Mountains,[a] often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps and the Rocky Mountains before experiencing natural erosion

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The old hills are now a shadow of what they were, and the gold has washed into the streams. I love these hills, but you can tell they are tired and have given up all of their wealth, and are content in their sleep.

If I try to steal from them now, they will awake and leave one last mark upon this earth - my broken soul.

And no, I don't steal from kids. But I could sell you some options...

originally posted by: Havamal
a reply to: network dude

You don't get a manual on how to be a dad. I guess I just did stuff with my kids and their friends that my dad with with me. Part of that was getting to know know their friends, and helping them do things that only an adult could do - like backpacking trips, going to the shore, taking them hunting and fishing.

My dad made time for me and my friends. It always stuck with me. I paid it back. Most of the kids turned out ok. At least one older guy spent some time with them. Some didn't have dads who participated. Sad that their dads missed out on what is almost better for the adults than it is for the kids.

I was at a friends house looking at some of his awards, he was an Eagle scout. I noticed quite a few pictures of his Dad in a scout uniform, meaning he was a scout leader at some point. I remembered my dad being a scout leader. At the time, he said nobody else would step up, so he had to. We had a lot of fun and made some lasting memories in a short time. I just remember being so impressed that he could get up in front of everyone, have a constructive meeting, and keep everyone's attention seemingly on the fly.

But I have so much more respect for the fathers that got involved in their kids activities before they turned into teenagers. And your interest may have prevented at least a few of them from becoming assholes. (not to be mean, but teenagers are a special breed of human)

It had to feel like a win having some of them think of you on fathers day.

a reply to: network dude

I have 2 boys. At about 13 they start transforming into evil creatures. They don't become humans again till about 17-18. You just have to hang on, and not kill them.

Never hit my kids.

Glad I never did.

Somehow I was the mellow dad in the neighborhood who would let the kids get a little wild, but knew when to send them home.

One kid had some real problems and he lived in my house for the last year of high school. Dad was gone, mom a druggie. He got al A's, joined the Marine corps and got out after 4 years. He owns his own home and business now, and is coming over next weekend for a cookout. A good kid. My older son and him were best friends in HS, and they still are.

Not so much a win. More like I did my part for the people around me. I live in a rural part of PA. We all try to help. We avoid jerks, and I think we have as many of them as any other place in our country - city, town, or country.

Jerks are going to be jerks. Out here, they live in crap holes, drink and do drugs, rob people, and generally carry on with as much crime as you read about everywhere else. The difference is that out here, you get to know the jerks, and they know you. So they learn to stay away from good folks. Not because of guns or ass-whippins, but because we just don't put up with it.

A jerk shows up at my place and I meet them at the front door, and run them off. No guns. No arguments. Just "get off my land," and it is over. Folks know me here, and that is all it takes. They always leave. They only come here to beg for work or money anyways. When you say no!, get outta here, they slink off.

The last city I had to live in was Erie Pa. Small city. Hated it. since then I live out in the farmland or the country. But that does not mean you get away from crack heads, drunks and crazy folks. You just can see them coming at you from a further distance.

a reply to: Havamal

Certainly no need to apologize! Im just giving ya crap while saying my 2 copper pieces. Sparring can be fun and educational lol

FWIW, I actually recently added an automated curriculum builder to my "list" of things to do with my project. The goal is to design and deliver a catered curriculum to every single individual student in real time. There are a few aspects that have priority over it, but Ill eventually get there.

One of the principles though, is to somewhat preserve the joy of discovery by letting the students build and invent their own "stuff," rather than small changes with an pre-made product (like the caka-a-pults). I actually believe this is important.

And think of it this way; every post on the thread, good or bad, pops this to the top of the recent list and will increase awareness. At this point in society, very few will change their minds on anything whatsoever.. so increasing visibility tends to increase the probability of actual participation alongside "e-participation."

a reply to: Havamal

raised 3, and am currently raising 6 year old grandson. My experience is they start to return to their human form about 20-21, and fully transform about 24. Damn it's a long time to watch them make the same mistakes you did, told them about, warned them about, and are powerless to stop the cycle, but rewarding when they give you those words you so long to hear. "Dad, you were right".

a reply to: Serdgiam
You sound like a kindred soul. More organized than I am.

While I was traveling to my son's graduation from Basic infantry training this last week at Ft. Jackson, the neighbor kids came in and kept my cats company and fed them. They really like my pond, which is about one acre, and asked me about fish and snakes when I got back on Sunday. I said "well, let us both find out," and got on the internet. We walked outside and we looked things up in the shade.

These were young kids 8 and 11, and were really hyped about this pond. They talked about snakes, and how they were not afraid of them, and how the fish had eyes like humans and seemed to recognize them every day they came by and fed them kibble from the dock. They wanted to know if fish are smart. I said "smart like a cat or smart like a fish?"

I told them a cat has to be smart as a cat needs to be, and a fish has to be as smart as a fish needs to be.

They asked "does the fish love me like the cat?"

I asked "what do you think?"

They decided that if you are nice they both love you the same.

Who would have thought up that unless a kid?

a reply to: network dude
My 25 year old son, a marine vet and college grad who just bought his first house, and I just paid over $20,000 to have his perfect June weeding in my perfect 6 acre backyard, announced on FB on Sunday that he taught himself everything and so he is celebrating fathers day for himself.

I do not do FB, but my wife showed me the response. It was ugly.

I did not even know that there were that many people who know of me or him, but considering the response he got, I don't think he will be posting again any time soon.

ME? Well, he was always a sh!t talker, and now it is up to him to live it down. His grandmother de-friended him! It never gets worse than that. Grandmother? Really?