Library’s science session makes kids' hair stand on end

By Joan Janzen

Kids got together at their local libraries at Kerrobert, Kindersley and Luseland on August 22nd and 23rd to participate in interactive sessions put on by the Saskatchewan Science Centre's Go! Code and GenAction team. The team visited these three of nearly 100 libraries in Saskatchewan throughout the summer months.

Dave Loos, Go! Code Manager said the Science Centre is able to run the two-hour program free of charge thanks to funding from both CanCode and GenAction, two federal grant programs that aim to help spread information about their respective fields.

The team from the Saskatchewan Science Centre wowed the kids at Kindersley with their demonstration. Photo submitted.

"We have a series of experiments and demonstrations that talk about climate change and greenhouse gases, as well as a game that we set up to help frame the discussion in a fun and interactive way," he explained.

The team, consisting of Chey, Ben and Ally from the Saskatchewan Science Centre, talked about electricity, technology and coding, and provided another demonstration, as well as a few different hands-on activities to help the kids understand circuits and robotics.

They taught the kids about energy and how it is formed. The children learned about solar, wind, water and geothermal and how it works to create power. They also learned about + and - charges and how opposites attract.

The kids took turns learning firsthand how like charges repel each other by using themselves and a like charge to get their hair to stand on end. The session ended with snap circuits, as they worked to create their own windmills, lights, sounds and much more.