During my earliest years, we didn't have much but my household was filled with love and my mind was always overflowing with curiosity. Large boxes were one of my favorite things to play with. They could be anything if I put enough imagination into them!

That imagination eventually grew into a passion for problem-solving. Now I'm on a mission to change the world by inspiring young minds to keep doing cool things with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). I want to empower a generation of young people with the knowledge and resources required to invent the change they want to see in the world!

Introducing: It's Not Magic It's Science!

I'm using the entertainment factor of magic to increase excitement and awareness in STEM. Each experiment is as entertaining as it is educational and is fun for all ages. I've designed each one with equity and access in mind so the majority of the experiments can be completed with low-cost items that you have at home or with materials that you can easily order on Amazon for only a few dollars. You won't believe how much excitement you can spark with so little. It's the presentation that makes this series uniquely inspiring!

Here are the three ingredients that make the “magic:

Experiment

In the first video of each episode, I share a 15 to 30-second experiment disguised as a magic trick! The experiments are as magical as anything you could see from a top magician but there are no smoke and mirrors here. It’s all science! This first video is the attention grabber. It's how we spark curiosity in all students regardless of their current level of interest in STEM.

Explanation

Magicians don’t reveal their secrets but lucky for the audience I'm not a magician I am a scientist! In the second video of each episode, I provide an explanation of the science behind the "magic" on a level that young people can relate to and be inspired by. What appeared to be an awesome magic trick is now a cool STEM lesson that leads to a stronger interest in learning how the world around you works. This shift from magic to science helps students understand that they can use STEM to make the world a better place.

Exploration

The third video in this equation is where the real magic happens! Now that the students know the science behind the “magic” we explore some real-life applications. I also, encourage the young Einsteins to try the experiments at home and to share ideas of their own potential real-life applications. This exploration is what builds passion and excitement for math and science. It's the answer to the very important question: Why would I ever use this again in my life? Equations aren't exciting but what you can do with those equations can be a great time if you learn to apply them to areas you are passionate about. These exploration videos will be the spark to some of the world's greatest innovations in 10-15 years.

Bonus Content

Every episode takes students on a journey from experiment to explanation to exploration but some episodes contain a little extra fun! This comes in the form of additional videos like slow-motion close-ups to see the science in action, translations to Spanish, and even hilarious fail videos like the clip below! These bonus videos expand the content offering and often come with extra lessons learned!

It’s not magic it’s science and it’s fun for the whole family!

Want more? I'll be posting LinkedIn articles for each episode with all of the videos, material lists, and any other instructions required for each experiment. The completed articles will be hyperlinked in the episode list below. If the episode isn't hyperlinked yet you can still watch the individual videos by subscribing to my YouTube channel: Jay Flores.

Episode 1: Paperclip Magic
Episode 2: Super Egg
Episode 3: Invisible Firefighter
Episode 4: Math Magic (with JiJi from ST Math)
Episode 5: No Splash Zone
Episode 6: Déjà Vu Candle
Episode 7: Icing the Puck (with Skates from the Chicago Wolves)
Episode 8: Ghost Cup
Episode 9: Coming soon!