Kids enjoy hands-on science, art activities
Hands-on activities were the rule of the day, as kids and adults alike had a chance to pan for gold, screen through sand for mineral samples, feel a fossilized dinosaur tail and power a lightbulb with a pedal-powered generator. Megan Davis Brown, communications director for Imagination Celebration and Salt Lake's YouthCity Artways, said her groups created art projects to compliment the science exploration on Saturday — a combination that's an effective approach to getting kids interested.
"Putting art and science together really enhances the educational experience," Brown said. "By engaging kids ... creating an experience of seeing and doing, you can really draw them into a topic."
That draw was apparent in the children clamoring for a turn at the Sand Treasure Hunt and working on submissions for the kid's art contest. Five-year-old Avi Kahm carefully drew a brown and blue dinosaur, which she proudly titled a "ligosaurus" before turning it in for judging.
"When people, especially kids, see what nature is capable of ... they're usually fascinated," Richerson said. "I have some (mineral) samples that people would never guess had come from the ground."
The Leonardo On Wheels-Science team was also on hand Saturday with some interactive science displays it uses in its schools outreach program. LaraLee Smith is the operations manager for the program, and she said it has become wildly popular in just a few short years.
"When I first came to the Leonardo a couple of years ago, we were challenged by getting the word out," Smith said. "Now we're challenged by the interest ... we're booked for the entire upcoming school year."
Smith said the program gears its exhibits to the science curriculum taught in Utah schools to seventh- through ninth-graders. Smith said the program continues to try to reach the greater community with involvement in events like the Festival of Science and Art.
"It's just a great way to learn about science," Smith said. "Kids get to do something fun and get a science lesson at the same time ... without even knowing it."
E-mail: araymond@desnews.com
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