Academic Year 2021-22

This  online program is very flexible. Your child can work through the program at their own pace, fast or slow, and on their own schedule. You can watch the lessons in any order, as many times as you’d like.

You don’t have to worry about trying to come up with a weekly science curriculum, answering hard science questions, and getting your kids to do their lessons… I’m going to do all the heavy lifting for you and do all of this and more! All YOU need to do is provide the kids.

You'll find all the LIVE science classes I taught each week during the 2021-22 academic year listed on this page. The format of the class is this: first, we  introduce one science concept to your kids. Near the end of each lesson, I’ll answer questions and point to the experiments that go with the science topic we just covered.

If you're using the curriculum from 2021-22, plan on doing science 2 times per week, for 30 minutes to one hour per session.

You'll find a material list and set of experiments you can expect to do with each month's topic. You can start the program at any time.

The content below works through my science curriculum in only one year.  What that means is that we'll be hitting the big concepts and showing you the best experiments to do that really bring these science concepts to life. If you want to go into more depth on a topic, click TOPICS at the top of this page and take a deeper dive into that area for as long as your child in interested and excited to learn more. This is YOUR program and you get to make it work best for YOU.

Science is about developing a deep curiosity about the world around us, AND having a set of tools that let kids explore that curiosity to answer their questions. Science is all about formulating questions, and creating experiments to answer those questions. It's a way of thinking, a process of learning that has a definite method. You can't learn that from just reading a textbook, filling out endless rounds of drill worksheets, or watching silly cartoon animations.

 If you're brand new, please also check out the Getting Started videos!

Step 1: Download your Science Packet.

I've put together a schedule of the classes I will be teaching live every week, and you are welcome to join me! There will be engineering challenges, time for questions and interaction, and so much more during our time together. This is also called an "Academic Planner", as it contains the information you need to plan out your academic year.

Download your Bonus Resources

You can go through the content on this website at your own pace, in any order. However, if you would like me to walk you through my online program, then going through the syllabus below in order will do that for you. 

Each week we're going to pick a scientific concept to focus on, learn all about it, and then do our science experiments to further our investigation of the concept.

Most classes will point to the section of the online program that corresponds to the experiments kids can do right after class. A few of the live class recordings have brand-new labs that I've released to go with the new content covered, and you can find these new labs by clicking the GREEN buttons that say "Download this Lab" below the video that they go with. These labs have not yet been incorporated into the online program, so you can only find them here on this page.

Let's start by looking at the handouts you can download for each month.

How to make your own Data Table

As you work through the program, you'll be creating your experiments and inventions, and it can be handy to know how to create your own data tables. Remember, the whole point of doing science experiments is to answer a question that you have scientifically. Sometimes it gets too complicated to keep everything in your head, so we use data tables to track what the experiment is doing.

The video below will show you how to create your own data table, step by step. 

August 2021 - Civil & General Engineering

We’re going to discover what it’s really like to be an engineer by building bridges, buildings, and skyscrapers and also by working our way through several engineering challenges which includes design, construction, and troubleshooting. Taught by a real engineer! Topics: buildings, tension, compression, building materials, projects, and engineering fields.

• 8/02-06: Week 1: Getting Started with a Full Week of Science (print out the workbook before class starts!)
• 8/09: Week 2 Tension, Compression (Levitating Structures Challenge)
• 8/16: Week 3 Materials, Structures, Buildings (Skyscraper Design Challenge)
• 8/23: Week 4 Buoyancy, Submersibles (Canoe Design Challenge)

September 2021 - Physics of Motion & Sound

This month, we are focusing on the fundamentals of physics. You’ll be taking a crash-course in physics as you swing, zoom, bang, drop, roll and tangle with Newton’s Laws of Motion and understand the basics principles of Energy. Kids will be experimenting with hovercraft, freefall motion, parachutes, catapults, building three kinds of speakers, and more!

• 8/30: Week 5 Mechanics: Forces, Gravity, Friction (Hovercraft Races)
• 9/06: Week 6 Motion: Velocity, Acceleration (Freefall Challenge)
• 9/13: Week 7 Energy: Potential, Kinetic, Work & Power (Catapult Challenge)
• 9/20: Week 8 Sound: Vibration, Resonance, Waves (Speaker Challenge)
• 9/27: Week 9 Special Class: Design and Build a Rube Goldberg Machine!

October 2021 - Physics of Light

Discover the amazing properties of light by learning about intensity, color, brightness, polarization, and more as you work your way through the electromagnetic spectrum! We're going to build laser light shows, reflect holograms, shatter sunlight, and bend light into a pretzel using physics.

• 10/04: Week 10 Properties: Frequency, Wavelength, Spectrum Color (Mirror Challenge)
• 10/11: Week 11 Lasers: Absorption, Refraction, Diffraction (Laser Challenge)
• 10/18: Week 12 Lenses, Optics, Eyes (Optics Challenge)
• 10/25: Week 13 Special Class: Illusions with Light (Hologram Challenge)
• Science Fair Projects!

November 2021 - Electricity, Electronics, Magnetism

Spark together electric motors, build homemade burglar alarms, wire up latching circuits and create your own whizzing, hopping, dancing, screeching, swimming, crawling, wheeling, robots! Topics: electricity, magnetism, electrical charges, chassis construction, sensors.

• 11/01: Week 14 Electricity & Circuits: Series & Parallel (Burglar Alarm Challenge)
• 11/08: Week 15 Electrical Engineering: Components, Sensors (Robot Challenge)
• 11/15: Week 16 Magnetism: Buzzers, Relays (Magnetic Challenge)
• 11/22: BONUS LESSONS!! 2-Day Intro to Electronics & Circuits Class!
• Science Fair Projects! (due Dec 17th)

December 2021 - Chemistry & Chemical Reactivity

Ooze, bubble, and slurp your way through the periodic table as you grow dinosaur toothpaste, coagulate slime, crystallize molecules, shake up ice cream, blast cannons and make a liquid freeze by heating it up. Discover 5 states of matter, supercooling, chemical kinetics, phase shifts, molecules, elements, atoms, chemical reactions.

• 11/29: Week 17 Chemistry: Matter, Atoms, Molecules (Polymer Challenge)
• 12/06: Week 18 Chemistry: Reactions & Reactivity (Chemistry Challenge)
• 12/13: Week 19 Chemistry: Thermochemistry & Electrochemistry (Battery Challenge)
• 12/08-10: BONUS! ALGEBRA Math Course
• 12/20, 21, 27, 28: BONUS Electronic Courses with Brian

January 2022 - Mechanical Engineering
(with bonus Electrical Engineering content)

We’re going to take the areas of physics and chemistry and apply it to one of the oldest branches in engineering: Mechanical Engineering. This area of science covers a wide scope, including engines and power systems, heat and cooling systems, renewable and alternative energy sources and so much more. We’re also going to do one full week of electrical engineering fundamentals so you can what real engineers need to know in order to do their work!

• 01/03: Week 20 Work, Energy, Power (Hydraulic-Pneumatic Challenge)
• 01/10: Week 21 Renewable Energy (Roaster Racer Challenge)
• 01/17: Week 22 Electronics & Electrical Engineering (Circuits, Components, Schematics)
• 01/24: Week 23 Thermodynamics: Heat, Temperature, Phases (Steamboat Challenge)
• BONUS Car Efficiency Lab

February 2022 - Biology & Life Science

We’re going to cover quite areas of biology in this course, including zoology, biochemistry, molecular biology, ecology, botany, astrobiology, marine biology and more. We are going to discover how to be a real biologist in the field as well as learn the big concepts in biology and how they tie into both physics and chemistry.

We’ll also uncover a whole new world of amazing organisms as we learn how to use a microscope! Learn about magnification, optics, and compound microscope anatomy as you learn to prepare wet and dry mount specimens, perform staining techniques, and fire heat fixes. Even if you don’t own a microscope, you can still join our class, we’ll teach you how you can make a pocket microscope, live cell laser microscope and more!

• 01/31: Week 24 Plants & Animals (Bio Lab Challenge: Photosynthesis Races)
• 02/07: Week 25 Microscopes (Bio Lab Challenge: Microscopic World)
• 02/14: Week 26 Cells (Bio Lab Challenge: Carb Test, Extract DNA, Enzymes, Mitosis…) DOWNLOAD CELL WORKSHEET
• BONUS: Expert FIELD TRIP with REAL Molecular Biologist Oliver!
• 02/21: Week 27 Special Classes for National Engineering Week: Innovation, Design &  Electronics with Brian

March 2022 - Astronomy & Astrophysics

Take an intergalactic star tour of the universe as you discover supermassive black holes, spinning neutron stars, active quasars, supernovae, and more! Listen to pulsars, explore time travel, make plasma in your kitchen and solar eclipses in a the closet. You’ll spilt light, build telescopes, and learn how to navigate the night skies with our stargazing sessions!

• 02/28: Week 28 Planets, Moons (Binocular Astronomy Challenge)
• 03/07: Week 29 Asteroids, Comets  (Special Meteorite Class - download handout)
• 03/14: Week 30 Solar Astronomy, Stellar Astrophysics (Solar Observing and Telescope Tour - download handout)
• 03/21: Week 31 Galaxies, Star Clusters, Nebulae (Build a Telescope Challenge)
• 03/28: Week 32 Deep Space, Black Holes & Supernovae (Stargazing Tour)
• BONUS: Astrophysicist's talk about her work on GALAXIES
• BONUS: Expert FIELD TRIPS with real ASTRONOMERS every week! (Please download the STARGAZING SCHEDULE below)
• BONUS: Geometry mini-math course workshop (download packet here)
• BONUS: Black Hole Math session (download handout)

April 2022 - Aeronautical & Aerospace Engineering

Aeronautical & Aerospace Engineering: Soar, zoom, fly, twirl and gyrate as you investigate the world of flight, create flying contraptions, hang gliders, multi-cell kites and more! We’ll learn about air pressure, flight dynamics, wing design, and take a real lesson in an airplane with a flight instructor!

• 04/04: Week 33 Special Class! Aviation: Flight Lessons in a Real Airplane
• 04/11: SPRING BREAK CAMP! (Two different sessions this year!)
• 04/18: Week 34 Airplane Design (Flying Machines Challenge)
• 04/25: Week 35 Rocketry & Spaceflight (Rocketry Challenge)
• BONUS: Expert FIELD TRIPS with real PILOTS

May 2022 - Geology, Meteorology, Earth Science

Explore our dynamic planet! We’ll first study the systems of the atmosphere and weather as you get to build a homemade weather station, complete with cloud tracker and hair hygrometer for measuring the Earth’s atmosphere. You also get to learn about convection currents, liquid crystals, air pressure and how sunlight, water and wind can be used as sources of energy. You’ll also learn techniques to identify, test, and classify rock and mineral samples you come across that real scientists use in the field.

• 05/02: Week 36 Weather, Atmosphere, Water Cycles (Atmosphere Challenge)
• 05/09: Week 37 Geology: Rocks, Minerals, Crystals (Rock Hound Hunt Challenge)
• 05/16: Week 38 Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Tides (Earthquake Challenge)
• 05/23: Week 39 Special Class! New area of science called “Exogeology/Astrogeology”, which is geology on other planets, comets, asteroids, moons, meteorites and more!
• 05/30: Week 40 Finale!