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MLK Elementary science fair rekindles an interest in science
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
After most of the students had been dismissed from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary school, a few unconventional visitors arrived – including a bearded dragon, a kinkajou and a tarantula.
“It has a third small light-sensitive area [on top of the head] that senses changes to light, in addition to its two eyes,” Debra Swank said about her bearded dragon, a large lizard that originates in Australia and can grow to 2 feet.
Swank, an education specialist with the Akron Zoo, brought several animals as part of the zoo’s Zoomobile, one of several attractions for the second annual Family Science Extravaganza after-school program at the elementary school, 2724 Mariner Ave., on the East Side.
The two-hour program was to rekindle an interest in science for the youngsters in grades three to six who might be receiving low grades in that subject, noted Beth McIntyre, the after-school program’s director.
Other challenging setups were interactive exhibits from OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology, Chaney campus’ Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program and the Columbus-based Center of Science and Industry.
Providing funding for the gathering was a Neighborhood SUCCESS and Leadership grant from the Raymond J. Wean Foundation, as well as 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
Swank explained that bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning they eat plants, insects and animals. Their light-sensitive areas also help them sense when predators such as eagles are in the area or overhead, she continued.
Swank then introduced the youngsters to a small kinkajou, which is related to the raccoon family. These animals live in South America’s Amazon Rainforest and feed mainly on insects and fruits, she noted.
In addition, kinkajous are highly adept at climbing trees and spreading nectar. They have been known to invade beehives because their monkeylike tails allow them to hang on and their fur is thick enough to absorb bee stings, Swank continued.
“They [also] help to pollinate and produce more flowers in the rainforest,” Swank said, referring to kinkajous’ love of nectar.
The animals had the attention of the majority of the children, such as fifth-grader Aniyha Lake, who asked a few questions about the kinkajou.
The young audience became a bit skittish, though, when Swank brought out a 2-inch tarantula while explaining that despite their menacing appearance, they tend to be docile and won’t bite unless provoked.
“You can’t judge a spider by the way it looks,” she said, adding that females generally outlive and are larger than the males.
Also on hand were 10 stations that COSI had set up, including a marble apparatus to explain the concept of potential energy, a tangram (an ancient Chinese puzzle for making figures with a square cut into five triangles, a square and a parallelogram), and a display containing 13 wooden pieces to make a perfect cube. The display has 19,186 possible solutions.
“The students are having a great time as well as the parents and the rest of the families,” said Nicole Rife, manager of COSI on Wheels outreach programs. “The 10 kiosks allow the families and children to interact with one another. It gives them a way to apply science to everyday life.”