ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Pipe cleaners, twist ties and some soap were all that a group of young Allentown day campers needed to spark their curiosity about science.
The demonstration Tuesday at Jordan Park was the first event of a new partnership between the Friends of the Allentown Parks and the Da Vinci Science Center.
About 20 kids in the Friends of Allentown Parks’ summer camp program crowded around tables under the pavilion to make their own bubble wands.
Ella Laski, a STEAM educator at Da Vinci Science Center, helped them form and test hypotheses and test what materials work best.
“Science is everywhere. It's not just the image that we have of a crazy, mad scientist in a lab with a coat on. … [Science is] just having an idea and testing things and seeing what works.”Ella Laski, STEAM educator at the Da Vinci Science Center
But 9-year-old Zemaj, a Jefferson Elementary School student, helped spark learning and wonder in many of the adults at the pavilion by ditching the provided supplies.
He blew bubbles with nothing more than his hands, a trick that quickly caught on among his peers.
Staff members from both nonprofits stood in awe as kids blew hand bubbles, something many said they didn’t realize was possible. Some lamented not thinking of it when they were younger.
“We wanted to …. give them a taste of science in the park."Rosario Stoops, executive director, Friends of the Allentown Parks
As kids washed their hands and started packing up, Laski said she hoped the somewhat chaotic event opened their eyes to what’s all around them.
“Science is everywhere,” Laski said. “It's not just the image that we have of a crazy, mad scientist in a lab with a coat on. … [Science is] just having an idea and testing things and seeing what works.”
Events, such as the bubble demonstration, that integrate arts and entertainment make science “a lot more accessible,” she said.
'There's no limit'
The Friends of Allentown Parks launched almost two decades ago to bring people to the city’s parks and help educate people there.
So its partnership with Da Vinci Science Center is perfect for its mission, according to Executive Director Rosario Stoops.
“Science really is for everybody; it doesn’t matter your age. Once you put those bubbles in your hand, you're a kid again, and you're learning about science.”Rosario Stoops, executive director, Friends of the Allentown Parks
About 400 kids are enrolled in the organization’s summer camps across Allentown’s 20 parks, she said.
“We wanted to …. give them a taste of science in the park, to take … science from Da Vinci and bring it out into the park and show them that anybody can really be a scientist,” Stoops said.
“Science really is for everybody; it doesn’t matter your age. Once you put those bubbles in your hand, you're a kid again, and you're learning about science.”
This year, the partnership plans to stage one event at each park. Stoops said she hopes to significantly grow its impact next summer by offering multiple science demonstrations at each park.
“There’s no ceiling to where we can go," Stoops said. "There’s no limit.”
