Whether it's wildlife, the universe or the amazing world of chemistry, the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus never fails to fascinate students when it brings its COSI on Wheels program to elementary schools.
This was no different March 14 when The Chem-mystery Truck visited E.J. Blott and each student made the rounds of the experimental stations and donned safety goggles to make their own green slime.
''According to the story, the ingredients for the slime were stolen by a villain,'' said Katie Trausch, COSI instructor. ''They have to figure out not only who stole the missing ingredient but what the ingredient is that is needed to make green slime,'' she said.
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Liberty Community News / Kathleen Evanoff
Katie Trausch, of COSI on Wheels, introduces students at E.J. Blott Elementary to It’s Simply Chemistry, a hands-on traveling science program presented by the Center of Science and Industry of Columbus. With parents and volunteers helping out, students learned the ingredients for making green slime from the Trausch’s presentation of The Chem-mystery Truck.
During the interactive program, students will learn chemical mixing reactions and make their own observations using microscopes, Trausch said.
In addition to touring each station manned by local parents, high school students and volunteers, students donned safety goggles and mixed the polyvinyl alcohol, sodium tetraborate and food coloring to make their own container of green slime.
''We'll hang onto the slime until the end of the day for obvious reasons, but then they can take it home,'' Trausch said.
COSI on Wheels is a traveling science program that brings several different topics to schools throughout Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Indiana. In addition to chemistry, other programs provided by the traveling science center include astronomy, wildlife, weather, energy and The Incredible Human Machine.
During the school year, the COSI truck visits as many as four schools a week, Trausch said. In the summer, the science trucks take their educational programs to local fairs, she said.
COSI opened to the public in 1964 and welcomed more than 5,000 guests to the Center for Science and Industry. It is now located at 333 W. Broad St. in Columbus and has been visited by nearly 20 million visitors from throughout the United States and around the world.
''Fun's a big hit today,'' Trausch said.