Slime, constellations and fingerprints are just a few of the topics children of all ages will learn about at the fifth annual Kids Science Carnival, hosted by the student chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOPEDS) at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM).
The free event, which focuses on interactive learning, will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 7, at WVSOM’s Roland P. Sharp Alumni Conference Center in Lewisburg.
Attendees will be able to view a model of a blood vessel constructed from water beads, pingpong balls and paper, and will find out how to make their own slime. Kids will learn about constellation systems, discover how to plant seeds, and find out how to dust for their own fingerprints. Stations also will be set up to explain how Arctic animals stay warm, show children how to create “rain clouds” from shaving cream and allow them to listen to a teddy bear’s simulated heartbeat, among other hands-on activities.
Brittani Hancock, president of WVSOM’s ACOPEDS, said previous Kids Science Carnivals have drawn praise from the families of those who participated.
“We love being able to introduce children to science in a fun environment and show them how important the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields can be,” Hancock said. “Many parents extended their gratitude to us at last year’s event, saying that there haven’t been many activities like this one. It’s going to be a fun time, so we hope to see plenty of local families there.”
Parents who want to register their children for the carnival should do so by Wednesday, March 4, by providing each child’s name and age to Mark VanBuren at mvanburen@osteo.wvsom.edu.