‘Hands-on’ the key to energizing kids about science

Despite the best efforts of those whacky science teachers that every school seems to have at least one of, science can sometimes be one of those subjects that elicits dosing nods from many students.

Despite the best efforts of those whacky science teachers that every school seems to have at least one of, science can sometimes be one of those subjects that elicits dosing nods from many students.

While older students often discover an interest in the fascinating worlds of biology, chemistry and physics, for elementary school students, these disciplines can be hard to handle.

The Pacific Science Center’s Science On Wheels program is hoping to change all that.

The center has packed a van full of science’s weirdest and most wonderful exhibits, and hit the road with the mission of engaging young students.

Last Friday, the center took it’s traveling roadshow to Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Sammamish, where students learnt about physics through lids mysteriously popping off cans, students’ hair pointing straight up, balloons bursting out of jars, and ribbons floating in the air.

On Friday, the McAuliffe classrooms more closely resembled a fun-fair than a quiet place of learning, as students found out how electricity is made and how air molecules are affected by hot and cold temperatures, through the hands-on interaction with more than 25 hands-on exhibits.

Pacific Science Center began as the United States Science Pavilion during the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. For more information about Pacific Science Center, visit pacificsciencecenter.org.