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Sciences

This category contains 20 posts

Magical Drafts and Potions: An Activity Book for Harry Potter Fans

From Fizzing Whizbees to Erumpent Toothpaste there are 8 recipes for different magical potions that any Harry Potter fan would enjoy creating. There’s also a muggle guide with instructions, easy to understand science descriptions, and some notes to help encourage critical thinking. All the proceeds from the sale of this item before Christmas will be … Continue reading

Do you know what your dog is thinking?

I have cats and I often regret that I don’t know what they’re thinking. A cat’s face is more often than not completely inscrutable. Dogs, on the other hand, seem only too willing to share their emotions. Its hard not to think that we know what a dog’s expression means. But, some recent research indicates … Continue reading

Magic Mondays: Surface Tension and Basilisk Venom

A few years ago, I made a potions kit as a gift for a young Harry Potter fan. I had a blast coming up with different science experiments that could be done with ingredients from the grocery store and renaming them to create my own magical illusions. Well someone asked if I could share these … Continue reading

Making Smarter Microscopes

I always joke with my students that the biggest difference between me and them when approaching a microscope is that there is nobody I can call for help with finding what I’m looking for. This might seem trivial, but I firmly believe that the microscope smells fear. When I walk up to it with confidence, … Continue reading

Why do Waves Break?

Waves in the ocean, or on another body of water, are generally started by wind. The wind blows across the surface of the water, pushing the water as it goes. Once the wave reaches a certain size it no longer needs the wind to sustain it. This is similar to pushing a cart along a … Continue reading

Peeling Trees

Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada I only knew of one tree where the bark would peel off: the birch tree. While this peeling is very historically significant as local First Nation groups would take advantage of the ability of the tree to peel and survive to make birch bark canoes for a white girl … Continue reading

Tasty to humans; toxic to dogs and cats

I love trying to find new ways to stimulate my cats. From putting food in different containers that they have to solve to get their food to introducing them to different smells that stimulate their interests, I think that providing different types of enrichments is key to keeping my girls happy and healthy for many … Continue reading

What is the flu shot for?

I often talk to people who tell me that they are not going to get the flu shot because they don’t get the flu very often. The thing is that many people are confusing stomach flu with seasonal flu. It is the latter that the flu shot is trying to prevent. We are all probably … Continue reading

Adopt an Animal and Save Your Heart

Most people who have pets know that they have a pretty significant impact on your life. For me, there is always a feeling of anticipation as I walk towards the door to my house, knowing that the cats will come greet me when I get in. They will purr and climb my legs, and possibly … Continue reading

The tree with an identity crisis

Tamaracks are great trees in my opinion because they are a deciduous coniferous tree. They seemed appropriate to write about after last week’s post about why leaves change colour in the fall. Tamaracks do not have leaves — they have needles, and reproduce with cones, like coniferous trees — but they do change colour and … Continue reading

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