STEM with Dr. Owl

Biology of cells and chemical reactions are the focus of today's fruity investigation. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they shrink down to look at the tiny "water balloon" cells inside your favorite snacks. Discover why oxygen and enzymes turn your fruit brown and learn a fun experiment you can do in your own kitchen! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: LS1.A – Structure and Function

Discover how the Earth's tilt and rotation create the changing seasons and why we shift our clocks for Daylight Saving Time. Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and a very confused Ziggy as they solve the mystery of the "missing hour" and learn why the sun stays out longer in the summer. Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com to get free materials and experiments related to this episo...

Discover the science of states of matter, physical changes, and centrifugal force as we explore how cotton candy machines work. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and a very sticky Ziggy as they learn how heat and spinning turn hard sugar crystals into fluffy, delicious clouds. We also reveal the world's longest cotton candy record and why this treat is called "Papa's Beard" in other countries! Learning Connecti...

Biology of baby features, dopamine brain chemicals, and the science of "cuteness" are explored in this heartwarming episode about our animal best friends. Join Dr. Owl and Emma as they discover why certain features switch on our "Care Mode" and how our brains give themselves a "hug" whenever we see a puppy, kitten, or bird. Don't forget to check out our previous episode on how animals became our p...

Crystals grow from cooling magma and mineral-rich water using invisible building blocks called atoms. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy on a subterranean adventure from the glowing Earth's mantle to a secret dripping cave to solve the mystery of the "lava smoothie." You’ll even learn how to build your own crystals at home using simple kitchen ingredients! Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: ESS2.A – Earth...

Discover how a piano works through the physics of levers, hammers, and sound vibrations. Join Dr. Owl and Emma as they rescue a shrunken Ziggy from inside the piano's "secret launcher" mechanism! You'll learn why short strings sound high, long strings sound low, and how a big wooden board acts like a giant amplifier. Educational Alignment: Learning Connection: NGSS DCI: PS4.A – Wave Properties (So...

In this episode, children will discover the geological forces behind how massive mountains are created, including tectonic plate folding, cracking faults, and volcanic magma eruptions. Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy as they use a virtual teleporter to visit the snowy Himalayas, the sheer cliffs of Yosemite, and the bubbling Mount Fuji. Get ready for a hands-on towel experiment to see plate tectonic...

Kids will learn the science behind heat, energy transfer, and exothermic chemical reactions in this chilly-weather episode. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they discover how simple hand warmers turn iron and oxygen into a cozy wiggle dance of heat, and find out how our own bodies are exactly like walking hand warmers! Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com to get free...

Discover how biology and DNA make twins look identical or fraternal in this fun science adventure. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and a very confused Ziggy as they explore the "instruction book" inside every cell and find out why even identical twins have unique fingerprints. You will also learn which amazing animal always gives birth to identical quadruplets! Want more fun science? Sign up for our email lis...

Learn how gravity and mass keep us on the ground and why people in Australia aren't actually standing upside down. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy the Robot as they discover the "Stuff Rule" and find out why the Moon has a much weaker gravity hug than Earth. Plus, see what happens when Ziggy tries to find a "gravity off" switch on a robot! Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbital...

Children will discover how energy transforms from fuel and food into motion, electricity, and light in this exciting introductory physics episode. Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy the Robot as they trace the hidden energy chain inside a car, learn what an "alter-gator" is, and find out how playing ice hockey or the piano uses the exact same science! Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list a...

Discover how credit cards, digital wallets, and online security work in this fun financial literacy episode. Dr. Owl uses a soccer scoreboard to explain how invisible value moves through the internet, while Ziggy learns a hilarious lesson about spending real money on digital video game costumes. Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com to get free materials and experimen...

Discover how the human brain and heart work together to create feelings like love, happiness, and excitement. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy the Robot as they unmask the "boss" of the body, explain the "superpower" of dopamine, and find out why we get butterflies in our tummies. This Valentine’s Day special makes complex neuroscience simple and fun for little explorers! Learning Connection: NGSS DC...

Discover how the axolotl uses special cells to regrow lost limbs and organs in this exciting biology episode. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they dive into the science of regeneration, explain what a "blastema" is, and find out why scientists are studying these Mexican salamanders to help humans heal. Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com to get free materials and e...

Human body biology and internal chemistry are the keys to understanding why your tears taste like a pretzel and your sweat feels like the sea. When Ziggy the Robot has a "cookie catastrophe," Dr. Owl and Emma must explain the amazing secret of "Human Soup"—how our bodies use salt to send zippy electrical messages from our brains to our toes! Kids will discover how salt acts as a superhero eye-shie...

🍦 Learn about the physics of melting, molecules, and the three states of matter as Ziggy the Robot desperately tries to stop his lime popsicle from turning into a sticky puddle! Join Dr. Owl and Emma for a "molecule dance party" to discover why heat makes the tiny building blocks of our world wiggle, jiggle, and slide apart. It is a science-tastic adventure filled with frozen soldiers, rock juice...

Learn how microwave ovens use invisible electromagnetic waves to vibrate water molecules and create heat. Join Dr. Owl, curious Emma, and Ziggy the Robot as they discover why soup gets hot faster than crackers and why metal causes sparks inside the oven. Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com to get free materials and experiments related to this episode. Learning Conne...

Learn the science of optics and how convex lenses and prisms magnify distant objects. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they discover why images flip upside down inside binoculars and how light performs gymnastics to reach your eyes. This episode explains the "Big Catch," the "Magic Folding," and why two eyes are better than one! Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com t...

It’s freezing outside, and Ziggy has bought every single box of hot chocolate in town—and he’s selling them for ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Join Dr. Owl and Emma as they warm up with a lesson on why prices go up and down. Kids will learn about supply, demand, and scarcity while navigating Ziggy’s chaotic cocoa monopoly.    This episode is part of the mini series: Money, Market, and Me! — listen to the fu...

Discover how zero acts as a crucial placeholder in math and forms the secret language of computers. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they bake "zero cookies," investigate why Ancient Romans struggled with math, and learn why "nothing" is actually a superhero number. It’s a counting adventure where empty space means everything! Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com to...

🍊 Discover the secret world of mold spores, fungi, and nature’s cleanup crew in this fun biology episode. Join Dr. Owl and Emma as they help Ziggy the Robot understand why his orange grew a "green beard" and how tiny spores float through the air to find a home. You'll even learn how some molds are used to make life-saving medicine! Want more fun science? Sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.c...

🩹 Ouch! Emma took a tumble on her roller skates! Join Dr. Owl and Ziggy as they shrink down to investigate the amazing "Emergency Repair Crew" inside our bodies. From sticky platelets stopping the leak to white blood cell soldiers fighting off germs, find out how your body acts like a fortress to fix itself! Don't forget to sign up for our email list at orbitalowl.com to get useful science materi...

Can you grow a donut tree? Ziggy certainly thinks so, but Dr. Owl swoops in to teach him and Emma that while pastries don't grow in dirt, money actually can grow if you give it the right job! In this episode, our explorers dive into the basics of Investing, learning how to turn "sleeping" piggy bank savings into "working" investments, all while mastering the tricky balance of risk, reward, and pat...

🍞 Have you ever wondered why your sandwich bread is full of tiny holes? Did invisible space ghosts take a bite? Join Dr. Owl, curious Emma, and Ziggy the Robot as they head to the kitchen lab to discover the "invisible bakers" living in your dough! In this episode, we explore the science of yeast, how chemical reactions work, and why tiny gas bubbles make our lunch so fluffy. Want fun science exp...

📸 Ever wonder how a tiny box can freeze a moment forever? Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and our silly robot friend Ziggy as they zoom in on the science of photography! We will discover how camera lenses act like eyes, shutters blink like eyelids, and sensors catch "light rain" to create the pictures you see every day. Plus, find out how the very first cameras were actually giant rooms you could walk into!...