Jane Hoffman's Backyard Scientist program is now entering its 21st year of service
to teachers, home educators, parents and budding scientists worldwide.
Seeing
the enthusiasm for science that Jane generated in Jason, she began offering
classes throughout Orange County where she resides in California. Soon newspapers
and magazines wrote about her and her unusual activity-teaching hands-on science.
Later, television shows began doing features about her too.
She
had been thinking about writing a hands-on science book for sometime. The 10,000
letters she received after appearing on one show convinced her to follow her
dream and write the book. The response to her first effort was wonderful and
exciting. Now there are six award-winning Backyard Scientist books and three
science kits. Recently added to the Series was Biblical Applications.
Also available is the Parent Guide to Teaching Science.
In
addition to writing and producing these wonderful materials, Jane shares her
knowledge and enthusiasm for science with teachers and parents. She has been
a feature/key note speaker at education conferences and conventions in nearly
every state. She has addressed delegates to the National Association for the
Education of Young Children for four years. Other conferences she spoke at include
the Michigan Science Teachers Association, PACE, North Carolina Association
for the Education of Young Children, Association for Christian Schools International,
California Kindergarten Teachers Association and many more. Her
teacher inservices are rated the best available by teachers and administrators
throughout the U.S. Much has been written about them in the educational press.
Jane
has appeared at major museums from coast-to-coast where she has out drawn major
exhibits with her simple to do, exciting and fun experiments children can do
as often as they wish with materials that they are familiar with. Here are a
few museums at which she appeared:
The Exploratorium
(San Francisco, CA) You
may have seen Jane on one of the many television shows she has appeared on such
as "Hour Magazine" and several appearances on the "700 Club"
or heard her talking about science and doing experiments on the many radio shows
she has been a guest on across the country.
Jane
works tirelessly to improve science education and to tell everyone how important
a strong foundation science is, how easy it is to teach science and how much
fun it is to learn science using her materials and methods. Her work has been
duly noted by the National Science Foundation.
Jane
began teaching science to fulfill her own son's thirst for learning about science
when he was in the first grade. Jason, now a graduate of UCLA earned his law
degree from the University of San Diego School of Law where he graduated Magna
Cum Laude. He is now practicing with a law firm with offices in several states.
Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago, IL)
New York Hall of Science (New York, NY)
The Children's Museum (Boston, MA)
Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, PA)
Indianapolis Children's Museum (Indianapolis, IN)