Pseudoscience Experiments: Teaching skepticism with homemade ectoplasm

A fun way to teach critical thinking to kids is through science experiments. Go to any bookshop and you will find a whole section dedicated to how to turn baking soda and vinegar into a mini Pompei, how to make an elegant timepiece from a potato, and the latest STEM craze: elephant toothpaste. These are awesome and fun, but they lack that special something that kids REALLY love: spooky stuff. Kids really like ghosts, aliens, bigfoot, and just about anything paranormal. So what I have done is create a bunch of science experiments that teach critical thinking skills and scientific skepticism using pseudoscience and the paranormal – Dr. Dad style.

In the weeks ahead, I’ll will post activities that you can do with your child that will not only teach them how to think critically by asking questions and looking for evidence, but will also encourage them to think skeptically about the spooky things they love. We will test ESP, try (and sort of succeed) at telekinesis, and look for candy with dowsing rods. All the while learning how to form testable hypotheses and reach sensible conclusions. And did I mention that it will be fun?

Stay tuned for pseudoscience experiments!