Story and Slideshow: Ex-SCI-ted
Indian Mills Elementary students enjoy a night full of science
Indian Mills Elementary School students and their families spent a nice spring night indoors during Family Science Night. The students spent their time learning about the many aspects of science.
“I love this event in that it provides parents with a curricular event to do with their kids at night,” Family Science Night organizer Kim Condurso said. “So many times, there are families that are going to sporting events and doing things like that. It is nice to have a curricular event where families can come and spend quality time with their kids and have a learning experience all in one place.”
Condurso, who is a chemistry teacher at Lenape High School and sends her son Christian to Indian Mills Elementary School, helped plan a night that had stations ranging from kids learning about robots from the Iron Devils robotics team to conducting experiments on acidity.
The event brought in some organizations and students from around the area to help. Middle school students from Indian Mills Memorial School assisted with experiment stations and helped act as guides for children as they went around to stations.
One of the organizations that took part was Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge. Kristen Volpi, an educator at the refuge, brought two owls for the students to see in person.
“I always like seeing the public,” Volpi said. “They get to see some really cool things up close, and it’s usually something that they do not normally see. The kids are always excited, the parents are always excited, and the teachers are always excited. They get to experience some of the cool stuff together. I hope they get a better appreciation for things that are in their backyard such as the wild owls.”
Janae Shaw of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey was on hand to talk about the peregrine falcon, a bird found in New Jersey that can fly as fast as 200 miles per hour.
“I love talking about the endangered species with kids,” Shaw said. “They soak the information up like sponges. I love it. They are our future, and these animals are endangered, so I think it is important for them to learn about them and for them to see what impact we have as humans on our environment. That is what I hope they take away from this.”
Eight-year-old Elisa Gonzalves and 7-year-old Madison Heller were two of the many students who had fun learning about the topics of the night.
“It’s really cool,” Elisa said. “I liked seeing the falcon and the robot. “I had fun.”
“It was amazing,” Madison added. “I learned that the female falcon is much bigger than the male falcon.”
The event went so well, there is hope it will be an annual occurrence.
“I hope they take away a passion for science and curiosity,” Condurso said. “Curious kids are science kids, and that is going to be the future of science. We want to keep that curiosity going and want to keep kids asking questions, that’s what science is all about, and that’s what I hope they take away. I want them to know how the world works.”
Click on the box below to see more images from Family Science Night
