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We got to go to the High Density Electronics Center at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville. Dr Douglas Hutchings took us in to see the place where he and his colleagues work on their innovative solar energy invention. Some parts of the lab look a lot like an ordinary office. They have chairs and worktables and computers. However, the parts behind yellow plastic are “clean rooms.” They have no dust in them, and people must wear special clean room suits to go in them. There’s a “Gowning... Read Full Story

FreshPlans had the opportunity to interview inventor Douglas Hutchings, who was recently on the cover of Inventor’s Digest.  Dr. Hutchings has been responsible for two inventions: a new kind of solar panel  which makes solar energy much more affordable, and a website that helps people find special deals in their neighborhood. Our conversation with Dr. Hutchings was a great starting point for classroom activities about inventors: The solar solution is a process of making larger crystals... Read Full Story

We don't always start our decorating plans from nothing. What if we have furnishings and accents already, and need to choose a colour scheme that will bring them together? One approach is to try out lots of possibilities. You can speed up the process with online tools. Our example householder is moving into a new flat. She has furniture upholstered in this cocoa brown: She has soft furnishings in this shade of blue: While this combination has been popular for several years, our householder... Read Full Story

Paint colour is one of the most difficult and most important decisions you'll make in decorating. Often, we try to make this decision from colour cards, holding a variety of hues up to one another and choosing a great combination. We may go with a palette designed by a paint company, another option that can introduce us to combinations we wouldn't have though of ourselves. As the room above shows, paint isn't the only source of colour in our rooms. This pretty room has neutral furnishings, so... Read Full Story

Madame C.J. Walker was a self-made businesswoman who created opportunities for herself and for other African American women at a time when both educational and career opportunities were limited. Walker was the first African-American woman to become a millionaire, and (according to the Guiness book of world records) the first woman to earn a million dollars through her own efforts. She was also a philanthropist and a tireless worker for several causes, including the end of lynching and equal... Read Full Story

The Soldier’s Tale by Igor Stravinsky tells in music, narration, and dance the Russian folktale of a soldier on leave who trades his violin — and his soul — for wealth in the form of a book that foretells changes in the stock market. The soldier agrees to go home with the Devil for a couple of days to teach him how to play the violin. At the Devil’s home, he tastes a life of luxury, and when he continues on to his village, he discovers that three years have passed, not three days. His fiancee... Read Full Story

Are there actually any new colours? No. Colours, strictly speaking, are places on the unbroken continuum of light that we see in a rainbow. There aren't any new ones. Scientists have found that people can distinguish at least a million different colours, though we can name only the ones we have names for. That is, we could have identified Tangerine Tango as "orange" or maybe "red orange," but until Pantone named it their Colour of the Year for 2012, most of us couldn't have distinguished this... Read Full Story

At this writing, there are two entrepreneurship contests going on. Use them to focus your entrepreneurship lesson plans, or recreate them just for your class or school. Interview an entrepreneur The first is the Hot Shot Entrepreneurs Video Contest for students.This contest clebrates Entrepreneurship week (February 18-25 in 2012), and entries are due on February 13th. Click the link for the full rules of the contest. This is essentially an oral history project. Students must identify an... Read Full Story

What's the difference between a warm colour and a cool colour? The simplest answer is that all the colours between red and yellow are warm, while those from green to purple are cool. Looking at warm colours like red, orange, and yellow causes your blood pressure to rise slightly. Additional glucose heads to your brain. It's physically exciting, at least according to some researchers. Looking a blue or green makes you calm. Your blood pressure lowers. If you were feeling a little angry or... Read Full Story

Money is interesting to most students, it’s an inescapable part of adult life, and it lets you study a lot of math and economics concepts, so it makes a great classroom theme — or just grab a few of these activities to knock out some framework requirements. Need a bulletin board? U.S. Money Bulletin Board Set from Trend is clear and straightforward, showing coins and currency and their relationships, while Teacher Created Resources U.S. Money Mini Bulletin Board focuses primarily on... Read Full Story