For two weeks at the Explora Science Center, about a dozen neurodivergent kiddos got to become “mad scientists.” One major objective that our camp instructors had for the kids was to present the five branches of chemistry: analytical, physical, organic, inorganic, and biochemistry. Under those five categories, each young scientist got to create wondrous chemical reactions and experiment with materials like crystals, bouncy balls, water blossoms, elephant toothpaste, and much more. It was colorful, it was fascinating, and it was distinctly enjoyable. I had the opportunity to help out on a few days over those two weeks in July, and from everything I witnessed, the event was once again a notable success for the LSG team.
There was, however, one key difference from when I assisted last year. With that in mind, I have a question for all of you: Have you ever heard the tale of Water, Oil, and Honey? It’s quite a harmless story, and it concerns three anthropomorphized liquids as their cozy life atop a hill is disrupted by some unfortunate news—the villagers at the bottom of the hill are running out of much-needed supplies! Water decides that all three of them must save the day, but doing so requires them to travel down a nearby slide that extends all the way down the hillside. With misplaced confidence, Honey tries it out first, but they are a very thick liquid and don’t make it very far. Oil is next, but they only get partway past Honey. It is then all up to Water, who travels effortlessly down the slide and helps their friends get unstuck along the way.
You’re probably not familiar with this story, as I got to write my own and apply it towards an activity at the Explora camp. Another objective for our young scientists was to learn the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Thus, “The Tale of Water, Oil, and Honey” was a tool I could wield to instruct the kiddos on the properties of liquids, namely their levels of viscosity. I bought a two-feet-long plastic tube from Lowe’s, which served as the “slide” from the story, and a few team members demonstrated how easily each liquid would travel down the tube based on their viscosity. The kids were able to test the viscosity of a few other liquids—corn syrup, maple syrup, and mustard—after the end of the story. Altogether, the activity was a neat combination of science and storytelling that turned out very well for engagement and experimentation.
Speaking of which, the enthusiasm from our little scientists was very evident. There were many moments where they would witness the outcome of an experiment and yell out “Whooooaaaa!” (The bursting overflow of the elephant toothpaste immediately comes to mind.) I would also echo what I said about last year’s camp: Whenever one of the kiddos veered off-subject or needed a mental health break, our team did a wonderful job assessing those situations and guiding the kids back on track. Not to mention, we had some Explora staff drop in to lead a couple of the activities — one of which introduced the concept of viscosity and thus linked very well to the “Water, Oil, and Honey” story!
This year at the Explora camp, I learned even more about how my LSG colleagues work alongside diverseABLED children and how we most effectively lead them in fulfilling educational experiences. It’s a testament to the whole mission and philosophy of LSG and UNTAPPED. I await Year 3 with excitement!
[all photos by Sereena Thelen]
Until the next story,
Aaron Kelly Anderson
a.k.a. “A PhD on the Spectrum”
