The children huddled around the table, watching as “Dr. Peter” poured hydrogen peroxide, soap and water into a soda bottle, while another child stirred up yeast and water in a small cup.
When the yeast had thickened, Dr. Peter poured it into the soda bottle – and quickly, what seemed like endless streams of foam overflowed from the bottle.
“Ewww,” the children screamed in unison as they backed away from the table.
The foamy concoction, dubbed “Elephant Toothpaste” – nobody knows how it got that name – was one of many science “experiments” at the Lawrenceville Elementary School’s annual Science and Discovery Night on Jan. 25.
Children could play Galactic Ski Ball – just like the arcade game at Jersey shore resorts – or they could make “slime.”
The mad scientist at “Slime Time” showed the children how to pour sodium borate, water, paint and polyvinyl alcohol into a container and mix it up. After a little while, the contents became sticky and hardened into a ball that they could play with.
But perhaps the most popular attraction wasn’t Slime Time or Elephant Toothpaste, but Matt and Kristi Reading’s petting farm. Like the other exhibits, it was set up in a classroom – but this one was complete with a fence and bales of hay.
The Readings, who live in Lawrence Township, brought along a goat, some geese, a duck and some rabbits. Snickers the Goat, who was always ready to eat whatever he was offered, was most popular.
Amukta Vedula, who is 8 years old, said she liked the “bunnies.” She liked feeding the rabbits, but she was a little surprised when Snickers practically grabbed the lettuce from her hand as she fed him.
Over at the Galactic Ski Ball exhibit, the children learned about space. They learned that a day on Venus – the time between sunrise and sunset – is longer than a year on the planet because of its rotation around the sun.
“What the heck?” said 6-year-old Justin Provenzale, as he tried to grasp the concept of a day being longer than a year.
But that is the goal of the Lawrenceville Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization’s annual Science and Discovery Night – to challenge the children, to allow them to explore science and to pique their curiosity.
“It’s a really great way for the children to be exposed to STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math,” said Paula Spencer, who chairs the event for the PTO.
“It brings science to life. It makes it fun. They get to see science in a way that they don’t typically get to see it when they are in a classroom,” Spencer said.
Apparently, it works – more than 200 children passed through the nearly two dozen exhibits at the annual Science and Discovery Night.