Water in a glass

To drink water or not to drink – that is the question

Water Water everywhere “What! Is it time to drink water again? Why should I drink so much water?” Does this question sound like one your child would ask? It surely does to me. I know of many parents who need to constantly remind children to drink water throughout the day.…

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Matters of the heart

Learning from teaching Last week in Biology class, matters of the heart were the main topic of discussion. The structure and function of the human heart, I mean! I teach Biology rarely, once in 2-3 years. Every experience gives me food for thought. During our discussion, I made an erroneous…

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Elephant Toothpaste – The Chemistry

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the Elephant Toothpaste experiment I did with my students. A few readers who read that post were curious about how to conduct the experiment and what happens in it. Hence, this follow-up post on the Chemistry behind the experiment. Incidentally, my lesson plan for…

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Chemistry lab table

Elephant Toothpaste – Fun with Science

Expectation Elephant Toothpaste – does it sound absurd? On the contrary, it is quite a popular Science experiment. I have conducted it many times, watched it even more times, and enjoyed every single experience. However, it has been some years since I did this experiment. Last week in my 9th…

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glass of milk

Experiments in the Kitchen

Kitchen is a Science lab My husband is very fond of experimenting, especially conducting experiments in the kitchen. A few days ago, while I was away from home, he got the idea to set home-made ‘curd’ (yogurt, ಮೊಸರು, दही). When I returned home in the evening, I saw a vessel…

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stack of logs

What are the things around us made of?

Out of thin air Have you ever wondered what we are all made of? Many years ago, I attended a seminar in my office. The speaker was a visiting delegate from the USA. His expertise was in K12 education. He had carried a thick wooden log with him to use…

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steaming pot on stove

2 Concepts of Chemistry in Cooking

When we think about applications of Science in everyday life, Chemistry in cooking emerges as a natural extension. Cooking is one of the exhaustive applications of Chemistry in our everyday lives. When I was in college, Physical Chemistry was a hard nut to crack for me, especially Thermodynamics. I struggled…

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3 Science concepts that help you in traffic

Science concepts I often come across students and parents who complain about the Science and Maths concepts learned in school. They think that learning such concepts is a waste of time and these concepts do not have real-life applications. These comments are usually peppered with doses of righteous indignation. A…

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Clarity of Concepts in School

“I never use the concepts I learned in school” I hear this statement often. In conversations with students, parents, friends, colleagues, public, even in memes. Generally, this statement is accompanied by a critique of the education system. How our education system is teaching us ‘useless concepts’ while it should be…

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