On June 22nd, Cool Science brought Dippin’ Dots science to the Middle School STEM Camp at Saint Mary’s High School!  It was an amazing day for the kids, which also featured the Civil Air Patrol, Lockheed Martin, and the Mobile Earth and Space Observatory (MESO), among other groups which set up a dozen different stations for the kids to perform a variety of science experiments ranging from rockets to robotics.  Of course Cool Science's table was a huge hit since it came with the opportunity to enjoy a sweet, frozen treat!
 
Before they could dive into the Dippin’ Dots, the kids first learned about physical changes of state like boiling, freezing, evaporation and condensation, all demonstrated using liquid nitrogen.  Liquid nitrogen is so cold (-320 °F) that it boils away constantly in a Styrofoam bowl.  After the demonstrations, the campers used plastic pipettes to drip flavored cream into the boiling nitrogen, where they froze instantly into Dippin' Dots.
 
Many of the kids agreed that Cool Science’s station was the best at the event, one girl even remarking, “If only my house was a science lab. I’d make Dippin’ Dots all day!”  

-posted by Joshua

On June 21st, Cool Science set up a booth during the Manitou Spring's Community Market  in Soda Springs Park to teach the shoppers about optical illusions.  The most exciting of these illusions were the ambiguous solids.  These funky shapes are three dimensional solid objects that appear to be completely different shapes when viewed from different angles.  The simplest of these ambiguous solids is the squircle, a portmanteau of the words “square” and “circle”.  It looks like a simple round cylinder from one side, but when turned around (or viewed in a mirror as in the photo on the right), it appears to have a square cross-section!  Kids could even make their very own squircle from a toilet paper roll.  An even more amazing illusion was an arrow that always points the same direction, as shown in the video below.

Other optical illusions included a Pyrex rod which completely disappeared in ordinary vegetable oil (demonstrating how the speed of light changes in different materials), and Ping-Pong ball which appeared to pass through a solid wall (thanks to polarized light).  For adults and kids alike, it was a great way to learn a little science while casually strolling through Manitou Springs.   

-posted by Joshua

​Cool Science hosted our 5th Annual Kid’s Mini Fruitcake Toss on January 20th at iSpace in the Citadel Mall.  Kids K-8th had the chance to build their own catapults and compete for prizes in three separate divisions. The metrics for success varied from the distance of marshmallows and cakes launched to how well the kids decorated their catapults.
 
The competition was fierce, but in the end clear winners emerged from each division.  It was a fierce and fast day where kids and adults got to learn about the mechanics and physics of catapults! 

-posted by Joshua