STEM with Dr. Owl

🧪Get ready for a spooky, gooey grand finale! Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy investigate what makes slime so slimy by making their very own "Professor Goobert's Goo." It's a hands-on chemistry lesson that turns simple glue into a spooky, stretchy polymer net! Grab your grown-up scientist and follow along with the full step-by-step recipe on our Instagram. Plus, download your free "Spooky Science Pack" –...

🍬Trick or Treat! Emma and Ziggy thought they had the perfect haul, but a spooky surprise awaited them: a giant, sticky candy blob! Join Dr. Owl in the Candy Lab as we uncover the gooey, stretchy, crunchy science behind Halloween candy. Why do chocolates melt so easily, but lollipops stay hard? What makes taffy so wonderfully stretchy? We’ll learn all about dancing molecules, crystal skeletons, an...

💡 Ever wonder why glow sticks shine bright and fireflies light up the night? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they explore a spooky dark workshop to uncover the secrets of 'glow science'! Discover why some things have a 'Mixing Glow,' others have a 'Living Glow,' and some special toys can even store light like a battery. Don't forget to get your free glow-in-the-dark activity sheets by signing up...

🎃 It's a spooky science showdown! Ziggy bursts into the lab to challenge Dr. Owl and Emma to a fast-paced Halloween trivia game. Join the fun and test your knowledge on floating pumpkins, upside-down bats, shiny candy corn, and static electricity. Click below or go to OrbitalOwl.com to sign up for our Owl-Mail, and get your badge and printable activity sheet, plus new science surprises every mont...

💡 Ouch! Why are some light bulbs toasty-hot, while others are cool as a cucumber? Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy investigate a sizzling science mystery: the difference between old-fashioned "toaster" bulbs and super-cool LEDs. Join them to discover why some lights are energy-wasters and others are super-efficient!

☀️ What would happen if the sun suddenly vanished? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they imagine a world without sunlight! Find out why our planet would turn into a giant freezer, how plants make their food, and why the sun is so important for the air we breathe. Plus, discover the amazing glowing creatures that live in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean where the sun never shines. Get ready...

🛰️ Ziggy the Robot is on a top-secret delivery mission when his navigation system goes haywire! He thinks he’s on Mount Everest, but he’s only in the neighbor's rose garden. His predicament sparks a magnificent question: how do the maps on our phones know exactly where we are? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they blast off into the science of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Discover the supe...

💵Why can't we have everything we want, right now? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and the hilarious Ziggy the Robot on a fun-filled adventure to answer one of life's biggest questions: Where does money come from, and where does it all go? In this episode, the team turns a simple family plan into an exciting treasure map called a budget! Listeners will discover how families earn income, play along with the fa...

⚡ Bzzzt! Fizz! Pop! Ever get that weird, tingly "pins and needles" feeling? Ziggy’s robot leg is stuck, and it feels fuzzy and buzzy! Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy to find out why our feet "fall asleep." Dr. Owl uses a garden hose to explain how our amazing nerve-wires get pinched and why that tingly feeling is actually a good sign!  

🧲 Ever wondered how a magnet can magically move a paperclip without even touching it? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they explore the incredible invisible force of magnetism! Discover the secret of North and South poles, why some magnets stick together while others push apart, and uncover the identity of the biggest magnet of all—planet Earth! Get ready to become a magnetic detective and find t...

🍂 When the air turns crisp and the leaves start to fall, how do animals know it’s time to prepare for winter? Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy as they uncover nature’s secret “animal clock” — the sunlight-powered timer that helps birds migrate, squirrels hide nuts, and trees rest for the cold months ahead. Filled with fun trivia, silly robot guesses, and cozy fall vibes, this episode shows how all l...

💰 Ever tried to trade your snack for a cool toy, but it got super confusing? That’s exactly what happens to Emma in her banana trading shop! Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and the hilariously inventive robot Ziggy as they explore the ultimate question: Why do we even need money? Travel back in time to a world of tricky bartering, discover the surprising story of "salty salaries," and follow the amazing jour...

🦩 Ever wondered why your knee works like a one-way door? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and a very wobbly Ziggy the Robot to discover the secret "body-ropes" that keep us from turning into floppy noodles! Find out why our knees are perfect for running and jumping, and uncover the surprising truth about how a flamingo's legs really work. Get ready for a knee-slappingly fun adventure!

💧 Ever wonder why your eyes turn into little waterfalls when you're sad, happy, or even just cutting onions? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they explore the amazing science of tears! Discover the secret tear factories hiding above your eyes, learn the surprising truth that there are THREE different types of tears, and finally solve the mystery of why crying gives you a runny nose. Get ready for...

🎨 Ever wonder how you see a red ladybug or a green leaf? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and a very silly Ziggy to shrink down and explore the inside of your eye! Discover the secret "color team" of cones that catches light and helps your brain paint your world. You'll learn why we can see rainbows and how the amazing journey from light to sight actually happens!  

🔢 Ever wonder why we count in tens? Is it all because of our ten fingers? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and the silly robot Ziggy on a numerical adventure to find out! Discover the secrets behind why donuts come in dozens, why clocks use the number sixty, and how computers speak a secret code with only two numbers. Get ready to see numbers in a whole new way!

🎈 Ever wondered why some balloons zoom to the ceiling while others just flop on the floor? Join Emma, Ziggy, and Dr. Owl on a high-flying adventure to find out! Discover the secret, super-light gas called helium, learn why it’s like a beach ball in a giant swimming pool of air, and solve the mystery of where the helium disappears to after the party is over. It’s an episode packed with fun facts t...

✏️ Ever wondered why your pencil leaves a mark and how your eraser magically cleans it up? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy the Robot after a hilarious drawing disaster leads them on a scientific adventure! Discover the secret ingredient in pencil "lead" (hint: it's not lead!), the amazing power of friction, and why erasers are so good at playing "Sticky Science." You'll never look at your school sup...

🪨 Ever wonder what's inside the rocks you find in your backyard? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy on a geological adventure to uncover the secret recipes of rocks! Discover the sparkly ingredients called minerals, learn about the three super-cool rock types—Igneous "fire rocks," Sedimentary "layer rocks," and Metamorphic "changed rocks"—and find out how some rocks can even hold fossils! Grab your ma...

🤔Ever wonder why you have to pee? And why is it yellow? Join Dr. Owl, the ever-curious Emma, and the hilarious Ziggy the robot as they go on a fantastic voyage inside the human body! In this episode, inspired by a great question from our listener Asher, we'll meet the body’s super-cleaning crew: the kidneys! Discover how these amazing, bean-shaped filters clean our blood, what pee is actually mad...

🚂 All aboard! Emma's new toy train set has her asking a big question: why do some trains puff steam while others zip by silently? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy on a thrilling journey to discover the secrets behind different engines. From old-fashioned steam power and rumbling diesel giants to zappy electric trains and futuristic floating Maglevs, you'll never look at a train the same way again!

🐠 Ever wondered how fish can live their whole lives underwater without ever needing to come up for a breath of air? After an exciting snorkeling trip, Emma has the very same question! Dive in with Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy to explore the amazing world of gills! Discover how fish use their breathing superpowers to grab invisible oxygen from the water, find out the surprising reason why whales and d...

🦞 Is a lobster red or is it a muddy green? Emma and Ziggy can't agree! Join Dr. Owl as he dives into the colorful mystery of why lobsters have a super-fast costume change in the kitchen. Discover the science magic of hidden pigments, scrunched-up proteins, and what lobsters have in common with eggs and even pink flamingos! It's a fun-filled adventure that reveals a lobster's true colors!

🌊 Ever splashed at the beach and wondered why the water tastes so different from the water in your cup? Join Emma, Ziggy the Robot, and Dr. Owl on an incredible adventure to solve a very salty mystery! We’ll follow a single raindrop on its long journey from high up on the rocks, down a winding river, and all the way to the sea to uncover the secret recipe for salty water. Get ready to learn about...

🐜 Ever seen a long line of ants and wondered how they all know where to go? Join Emma, Ziggy, and Dr. Owl as they decode the secret languages of the insect world! Discover how ants follow invisible "smell maps," why bees do a special "waggle dance" to share directions, and how fireflies use flashy lights to say hello in the dark. Get ready to learn about the amazing ways bugs communicate without...