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Article for: The Davis Enterprise
Date: March 21, 2003
Author: Jessica Ruskin
Contact: Tom Wickersham

NEW FEATURE IN EXPLORIT CLASSES: PARENT PARTICIPATION

Spring in Davis brings pear blossoms, warm weather and exciting learning opportunities at Explorit Science Center.

From April 14 through April 18, Explorit is offering a variety of workshop experiences for children (and adults) of all ages. Workshops are hands-on and minds-on and involve children in the doing of science. This spring, children will become archeologists and dig for signs of the past on Thursday, April 17 and act as entomologists as they learn about insects and their importance in our ecosystem.

Children can take an insect safari with a trained Explorit educator on Monday, April 14. Participants will enjoy an outdoor nature walk and an opportunity to catch and observe live insects. Children will learn how insects use their sense of smell to find food and mates. They will also compile a sample population count of local Davis insects as well as have time to visit Explorit's new hands-on exhibition called "What's the Buzz? Insects around Us." 

Insect activities will continue on Wednesday, April 16. Families can drop in from 2- 4:30p.m. to explore the interactive exhibition and make their own insect antennae and wings to wear home.

On Tuesday, April 15 visitors to Explorit will have a chance to take the egg drop challenge! Combining knowledge about gravity, force, principles of structure, and engineering, visitors will build a device to protect their egg from a fatal fall. 

Children will also investigate science and eggs on Friday, April 17. Explorit visitors will mix craft and chemistry to dye eggs to take home. Using natural dyes like onionskins and berry juice, children will decorate eggs with a variety of colors and designs.

Spring workshops at Explorit Science Center offer opportunities for children and families to explore science together. Families participating in spring activities last year commented: "my son learned and had fun at the same time" and "she was really excited explaining the egg drop to us." Another parent said, "my child loved this workshop and came home very excited about it."

All workshops take place between 2 and 4:30p.m, except on Monday when Explorit will open at 1p.m. for special holiday hours. Children must participate with an adult and some workshops have a materials fee of $3.00 for members and $5.00 for non-members. All workshops include free museum admission. Workshops are limited to 20 participants so call ahead to save your spot at (530) 756-0191.

Spring workshops offer just a taste of Explorit's Summer Science Classes, which will run from June 16 through August 22. Summer science classes involve children in week-long investigations of astronomy, chemistry, biology and engineering as they build and launch their own water rockets, meet live animals, and use chemistry to make ice cream and butter.

This summer, Explorit will offer more classes than ever in an effort to accommodate all children interested in summer classes. The summer brochure will be available to the public on April 1. Brochures will be mailed to all Explorit members and will be accessible on the Web site at www.explorit.org and at Explorit. All registration forms will be due at Explorit by 5p.m. on April 21 and families will be notified of class enrollment status by Friday, May 2. Please call Explorit for more information about summer classes or to join our mailing list for summer class brochures.
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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Written in Stone: The Story of Sand, Soil and Rocks," which continues through Apr. 5. Public hours are Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.