Balkin Buddies

SCHOOL VISITS: Vicki Cobb's "Science Surprises" is a highly entertaining, fast-paced show guaranteed to captivate kids and their teachers. She answers the question, "Why science, anyhow?" by showing how our senses and experiences limit how much we can learn of the universe and that science is a way of getting past our limitations. Instead of showing the audience the world of science, Vicki invites the audience to discover science in their world. Everyone in the audience experiences illusions and individuals participate in doing irresistible challenges from her books Bet You Can! and Bet You Can't! Vicki's program gets kids excited and enthusiastic about science and creates many openings for teachers to follow-up on.

MATERIALS SHE REQUIRES FOR SCHOOL VISITS: Name Cards -- Please have each child hold a large index card with his or her first name printed in large black letters so she can read them. The kids are to hold up their name cards, as if at an auction, so she can call on them. It makes a huge difference to the smoothness and pace of her performance if she can call on children by name. So please make sure that the names are readable and don't pin them onto the kids. Also, please, don't let them decorate their cards, and don't discuss the contents of this list with the kids in anticipation of her visit.

Demonstration Carton - For demonstration purposes, she'll need a carton with the following items: some kind of bell to ring for attention, scissors (must have two sharp points, blunt ends won't do), 1 sharp pencil, gallon-sized food wrap size plastic "Baggies" (one for each presentation), pitcher of water, hanky, broomstick (broom not necessary), paper towels, empty 2 liter plastic soda bottle, clean and dry with label removed, funnels (a nest of different sized conical funnels is best. It's especially good to have a very small funnel), 2 cups cooked macaroni in an opaque covered dish (you should not be able to see what's in the bowl),food coloring (any color but yellow), extension cord, power strip, a globe of the world.

Also needed - an overhead projector and VCR for all presentations.

Please allow one full hour for grades 2 and up; ten minutes are needed to get settled for a fifty minute program.

She brings her own wireless mike that can plug into any speaker system, portable or built in. If she's not going to be in a room that has a PA system, please provide some kind of portable speakers.

KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS: She speaks to adults as an educator, science author, and parent. The title of her current keynote address is: "Fun & Games & Children & Science & Literature & Education." She has spoken at several conferences, including the North Carolina Science Teachers Association Conference and the Michigan Science Teachers Association Conference.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS: Vicki offers a one-day workshop for teacher of grades K-8 with lots of hands-on activities. She can speak to 60-80 teachers. At the end of the day teachers will have gained the following: (a) direct experience with fun-filled, science related "quickies" guaranteed to grab kids' attention; (b) practice in designing experiments with ordinary things that can be immediately applied to classroom use; (c) hands-on experience with a science experiment that demonstrates how to use empiricism to answer questions; and (d) an introduction to Vicki Cobb's books as a classroom resource.

EVENING PROGRAM: You Gotta Try This! A Fun Evening of Amazing Science for Parents and Kids.Vicki Cobb hosts a free-wheeling evening of discovery for the whole family. Painlessly shorten your arm, eat chocolate so your mouth feels cooler, throw raw eggs across the room and much, much more. Vicki is a Pied Piper leading both kids and parents into discovering why scientists love science.

HONORARIUM: This should be presented to Ms. Cobb by the end of the last day of the author appearance. Her fee structure is as follows:

$3,100 a day, plus expenses for teacher in-services programs (about 80 teachers)

NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS PER DAY: She can do up to but no more than three sessions a day.

To discuss variations on this fee structure, please discuss with a BalkinBuddies representative. For further information, especially about the expenses (travel, hotel, and meals), click the "Arrange An Appearance" button and see "General Information on the Cost of an Author Appearance" as well as the 'Honorariums' section near the bottom of "How to Plan an Author Appearance."