On April 6 from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. Bridgeland High School’s Science National Honor Society (SNHS) offered a Science Fair at Josey Lake Park to spark the joy of learning in our youngest students. Over 100 Bridgeland elementary students registered for the free event and were guided by approximately 40 SNHS students as they explored creative ways to apply different sciences. Children learned by doing as they performed hands-on science experiments that almost seemed like magic.
The floating marker was one such experiment where kids drew on a melamine plate with a dry erase marker. Once water was poured onto the plate, the image they drew began to lift and float on the water, soliciting many wowed expressions.
Sometimes science is messy. Rolling up their sleeves, many kids were ready to get their hands dirty by making and playing with slime. Others found science to be both fun and tasty when making a catapult with popsicle sticks and challenging each other to see who could launch a marshmallow the farthest, or who could catch one in their mouth! Some were fascinated by making a suspension of cornstarch and water called oobleck. Young scientists learned how applying different pressures caused the non-Newtonian fluid to sometimes behave like a solid and sometimes like a liquid.
One of the biggest lessons of the day was learning that science is cool, especially when making your own ice cream using milk, sugar, ice, salt, and a bit of shaking. Many kids were heard saying their creation “tasted sooo good!” When you’re looking for something to do on a hot summer day, we’re guessing you’ll be making some ice cream in a bag!
When children were asked which they liked best, learning about density by making a lava lamp turned out to be the hands-down favorite experiment of the day. One child described it by saying, “It’s like seeing a volcano in a bottle.” Everyone learned new words such as chromatography, and all experiments ended with high-fives for a job well done.
You can continue to explore the wonders of science in your own backyard, because you’ll find everything you need to recreate these experiments in your home pantry. By clicking here, you can access the recipes for some of the experiments offered at the fair.
Bridgeland’s National Honor Society is led by LaGina Nosavanh. The event was sponsored by Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. as education is an important component in developing Bridgeland. Attendees were offered coloring books that explain about the flora and fauna around Josey Lake, a pair of glasses for viewing Monday’s solar eclipse, and a few grab-and-go snacks.
