Why is February such a short month? Did you ever wonder that, readers? Is that question keeping you up at night? Well, wonder no more! It turns out that the internet has a wealth of information about this very important question (check out here: https://patch.com/new-jersey/caldwells/why-is-february-so-short-blame-it-on-the-romans and here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/55327/why-are-there-only-28-days-february and here: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explai

Talking about snakes, today, readers. So if that makes you all squirmy (no pun intended!) may be best to move on. But, as part of my recent move to doing a sabbatical in Israel, I found myself in need of transporting my two year old ball python from my house in Sharon, MA, to the snake foster parent, who is a graduate student of mine who lives in Rhode Island. So, how to transport a snake effectively? Apparently not the way that I did it, which was to take the entire cage out

Coming up on another vacation week next week, readers, and lots of options of things to do with your children. Did you know that The Party Elements is offering a one day program in Kitchen Chemistry through the Sharon, MA community center for children in grades K-3? It’s true. Going to be a great time making candy lollipops (which you can do by making a super-saturated solution of corn syrup and sugar and water and then letting the solution harden into deliciousness), mixing

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and in honor of that, let’s talk about favorite Valentine’s Day ideas. 1. Do nothing. For real, just remember, doing nothing is always an option. Remember also that the history of Valentine’s Day is kind of dark, with executions and middle ages and such (http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day), so in some ways it’s kind of odd to be celebrating with flowers and romance and chocolate. 2. You can celebrate Galentine’s

What are you up to this weekend, readers? I’m writing from Israel, where it is not cold and not snowing, so if you want to hop over the Atlantic Ocean and visit our family, we’d love to have you. But for the rest of you, here are some options of things to check out: 1. Skiing and/or snowboarding and/or snowtubing. You could be running out of time to check this out for this season, people. Go today. In Rhode Island, kids as young as 3 years old can take ski lessons at Yawgoo V

WHAT ARE YOU DRINKING RIGHT NOW? I’ve been thinking a lot about what kinds of drinks are good for your health, what are less good, and what tales around this are all kind of made up anyway. So, here goes: Myth 1: Drinking diet soda makes you fat. No. No it does not. Things that have zero calories in them cannot make you fat. Read all about why it can’t make you fat here: https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-sodas-and-weight-gain-not-so-fast#1. In short, though, people who

Alright, readers, let’s talk about jet lag. Why, you may ask? Well, this week the partier-in-chief (me!) moved with my entire family for a 5 month sabbatical in Israel. Before you get all concerned about your parties, though, don’t worry, fellow party facilitators Dana, Ben, and Joanie will still be at your events on this side of the Atlantic. And extra bonus, if you live in Israel and want a science party for yourself or your children, let me know! When we say “perfect for a