Meet Science Mom – aka Jenny Ballif who has been entertaining children, youths and adults all across the valley and in Boulder City for a few years now, and…teaching them science all at the same time!
How does she come by such knowledge? Jenny has a Masters in Plant Science from Utah State University.
Jenny and her family moved to the area in 2013 when her husband got a job at Nevada State College. They looked around, and just like so many of us, once they realized Boulder City was close enough to work and connected by bike paths, well you know they just had to settle in Boulder City!
Their own children were young, so Jenny stopped working full time and volunteered at NSC and our local Mitchell Elementary where her children attend. One day, the second grade teacher shared she was a little low on resources to spend as much time as she wanted on science – and could Jenny help by pulling together a curriculum that would be fun for the kids?
And just like in the movies – Science Mom was born! The kids gave her that name, which is pretty cool, we think. But wait – there’s more!
Husband Serge Ballif is a math whiz, so Math Dad is in on the act too! They have their own YouTube Channel you can check out HERE. Each and every Friday, they have an online competition – Math Dad vs. Science Mom, which truly is for all ages – meaning our adult brains can get a workout too.
One of their most popular presentations is her own homemade recipe for Slime! Yep, that’s every kids dream to leave slime all over the house for us, right?!? You can watch a video and see the recipe for that HERE.
Beyond schools, Science Mom is available for hire for youth groups, non-profits and most any organization where the content is relatable. She has presentations for kids of all ages and adults too. We thought that this really might be fun for most any group – just release your inner nerd, have fun, and learn a few things at the same time!
She is also looking to possibly expand her services, so if you’re interested, give her a shout out by email here: jenballif@gmail.com.