By JOSH NEWTON
Press Staff Writer
TAHLEQUAH —
By JOSH NEWTON
Press Staff Writer
Remember conducting your own science experiments as a child?
Particular tests have varied with each new generation. Some made silly putty with glue and Borax, some created their own volcanoes, and others tested the rumor that mixing Pop Rocks candy and Coke would result in an explosion.
Luckily for the many children who enjoyed their candy and soda, the latter turned out to be only a big rumor.
Science and all it entails has long been a favorite subject of school children anxious to see things explode or morph in front of their eyes.
That’s why organizers brought back the Freaky Science Experiments kids’ camp at the Northeastern State University campus in Tahlequah.
Kids have spent the week under the leadership of Dave Fuller, a Tahlequah Middle School teacher.
“Today, we’re working with dry ice,” Fuller said Wednesday.
Using his gloves, he took several chunks of the dry ice from an ice chest and carefully placed it into a glass container of water. Soon, the white mist began to waft over the sides.
“We’re learning what it’s made of, what happens when it’s mixed with water, or when it’s mixed with soap,” said Fuller. “We’re teaching some of the properties of dry ice.”
He added some dish soap into the container, and soon, bubbles were foaming over the edge and into the blue swimming pool it sat in.
“When we put the dry ice in, it makes bubbles,” said Rocky Hensley, age 7.
Those bubbles sold him on the dry ice experiment being his favorite of the week, even though there were several more to go.
Another experiment involving a glove and a chemical reaction that made it appear to move, as if it were alive, was his second-favorite experiment.
“I thought it was going to attack!” he said.
Earlier in the day, the 30 children participating saw that a balloon containing water wasn’t popped when fire was held up to it.
Writing in their journals, children noted what they’d learned.
“We put water in the balloon and the fire didn’t burn the balloon because the water absorbed the heat,” said Morgan Carter, age 9. “It makes the water hot instead of the balloon busting.”
Tuesday, participants learned how liquid can change matter. Frozen T-shirts were produced, and campers had to come up with the best idea to unfreeze those shirts in the fastest time.
Later, they’ll learn about the explosion caused when Mentos are mixed with Diet Coke.
Carter believes she’ll one day use science in whatever profession she chooses as an adult.
And while she might enjoy going home and trying some of the experiments she’s seen at camp, she said she’s decided not to.
“I’m pretty sure my mom wouldn’t want me to do some of them by myself,” said Carter.
Good advice for children, especially concerning those experiments using fire, chemicals or dry ice, all of which can cause injury.
But inside the classroom, with Fuller and other leaders, science becomes mesmerizing.
“Our job is to make science messy and fun,” said Fuller. “Too many times, we work just out of textbooks, and these hands-on lessons can provide more learning opportunities.”
As they work through their activities, discussions are held about what happened, and why it happened. They’ll take their journals home when camp ends this week. On Friday, students of the Freaky Science Experiments camp will travel to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum.
“We did this science camp last year and it had our largest attendance, so we decided we had to repeat it and also add to it,” said Fuller. An added bonus this year is a camp offered during the third session - Sci-Fi Science- July 12-16 for campers who completed Freaky Science Experiments.
“They’re going to learn about their universe, but also make their own universe,” said Fuller.
For instance, he said, campers will get to create their own “alien” life forms.
