Hands-on activities help youngsters learn about science

By Maria Bibbs
Diversity Institute Fellow

11.08.02

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Amid pulsing distractions of bells, alarms, whistles and laughter, 7-year-old Adaobi Okoro carefully poured her muddy water into the cup of charcoal so that she wouldn’t spill a drop.

She then waited patiently as the water drained though the purifying charcoal for the miracle of science to do its work. Her eyes lit up, and she stepped back as the cleansed water trickled out of the cup.

The second grader was learning about distillation. She had plenty of company.

Hundreds of children attended the Cumberland Science Museum’s Chemistry Day event Saturday, Oct. 19, for an afternoon of hands-on activities designed to engage students in science and demonstrate the role of chemistry in daily life. This year’s theme focused on the ways chemistry is used to promote cleanliness.

It’s not enough to just tell students about science in school, said Ruth Ann Woodall of the Nashville Local Section of the American Chemical Society.

“If they can touch it, if they could think through it, they can learn it,” said Woodall.

She said the museum is an ideal place for both children and their parents to get a better understanding of chemistry through interactive presentations.

Organizers also prepared an area for educators to take handouts and materials provided by the ACS to assist in classroom instruction.

One of the unique aspects of Chemistry Day is that instead of featuring static displays, volunteers from local universities and public schools planned interactive exhibits, said Sharon Mendonsa, program manager at Cumberland Science Museum.

Several student groups set up booths around the museum, where volunteers assisted with experiments and presentations.

Many activities were geared toward introducing elementary school students to the possibilities of chemistry as a career.

“I want to get kids interested in chemistry,” said Lance Baird, a volunteer from Austin Peay State University. “It helps them with problem solving and cognitive thinking, and gives them an understanding of the world that we live in.”

Volunteer Arlene Downs-Coleman said that she encourages children to do the experiments on their own rather than watching them so that they will not be afraid of science.

In addition to activities teaching cleanliness, instant vanilla ice cream was made before children’s eyes with fast-freezing liquid nitrogen.

The museum’s planetarium was also popular among the youngsters.

“I liked the spinning stars,” 4-year-old Gregory Corson said through a mouthful of ice cream.

When his grandmother, Darlene McKnight, leaned over and asked him what he now wants to be when he grows up, Gregory quietly said, “An astronaut.”

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