There is a great need to promote and foster a love of learning in areas of economic plight such as the Spring Hill area of DeLand which is home to the Brighthouse Boys & Girls Club. Since some of the best ways to develop a thirst for knowledge is through hand on experiences making this type of learning extremely valuable for the kids at the Boys & Girls Club.
Starting this week I began conducting experiments with the kids. We covered states of matter. First I gave a mini-lecture to the kids about the solids, liquids and gases and we discusses examples of things that changed phases such as water and popsicles (they go from its solid for to a sticky liquid mess).
The experiment is best described as semi-organized chaos. The kids had a great time. They added colored water to corn starch to make oobleck, a Dr. Seuss description of edible slime. Since I know of at least 7 kids that decided it was a good idea to eat the slime, I’m glad it was edible. Somehow the oobleck ended up on each and every crevice on the picnic tables we were using and great deal of it ended up on the ground. I’m so glad we were outside because we only had to grab a hose and the clean up only took a few minutes.
I would definitely consider Experiment #1 to be a success. All the kids that participated in the experiment were eager to bring the oobleck home. They were all bringing their friends over so that I could explain to them how to make the experiment at home. As soon as we finished the experiment the kids were already begging me to start another with them. I can’t wait for the next one!!!!
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