By: Tom Wickersham

SCIENCE CLASSES DURING SPRING BREAK AT EXPLORIT

Explorit Science Center's exciting Vacation Science Classes program continues during this April's spring break. Children in kindergarten through grade 5 can enroll in these hands-on science classes to help make their vacation time a time for discovery.

Because classes fill quickly, Explorit recommends signing up early. Hour and a half classes will be offered each day April 5 - 9 at Explorit and feature a range of science subjects from bugs to kites, architecture to invisible inks.

Budding young scientists are sure to find at least one (or maybe all) of these science classes to be just the thing to do during spring break. Kindergarten classes will take place Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. Classes for children in grades 1 through 5 take place each day with classes for grades 1 and 2 in the morning, 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., and classes for grades 3 through 5 in the afternoon, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.

Fees are $11 per child per class for members or $14 per child per class for non-members. A detailed schedule and a registration form are currently in production and copies will be mailed to Explorit members. If you wish to have a Vacation Science Class flyer mailed to you or if you have additional questions about Explorit's classes, please call (530) 756-0191 Monday through Friday, 9:00 - 4:30 p.m.

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If you'd like to learn more about science and the world around you, but you're beyond the age for the Vacation Science Classes, why not take in a free lecture? Explorit's Cutting Edge of Science Lecture Series continues with "Heavy Ion Physics: Creating Small 'Big Bangs' in the Laboratory," presented by Dr. Daniel Cebra on Tuesday, March 16.

Dr. Cebra, assistant professor at UC Davis, has been participating in international collaborations which build detector systems to study heavy ion collisions at high energies. Dr. Cebra will present a brief history of the universe and show how recent experiments give us insight into what happens in a "Big Bang." This free lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A Street.

Don't forget about Explorit's Astronomy Club meeting. "Mars Close Up" will be the subject of Saturday evening's meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m. Take advantage of all the recent interplanetary probes to investigate topics from volcanoes to life on the red planet.

This free meeting is open to everyone and is appropriate for young and old stargazers; you don't even have to know where the big dipper can be found. If the skies are clear, stay tuned for some constellation observation to learn more about the heavenly skies.

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Explorit Science Center is located at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Weather or Not: Forces Affecting the Earth." Public hours are Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission is $3; members, teachers (with school ID) and children under 4 are free.