​Have you ever wondered if math could be fun? At our Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids, the United States Air Force Academy came to answer that question with a resounding “yes”!
 
Many of us think of math as an abstract, distant discipline, and while it can be, it also branches out into the physical, visible world. Mathematics surrounds us everywhere we look, and USAFA had a fun craft project to open kids’ eyes to the possibilities of math.
 
The students made tetrahedrons out of colorful construction paper, where they got to learn about triangles and the relationship between the four faces of the object, the six straight edges, and the four vertex corners. Basic principles that can evolve into complicated mathematical properties. If the kids wanted to learn more, they would get further explanations for how math is used to measure shapes and objects.
 
Everyone in the room was having an amazing time making their tetrahedrons and learning about math. This was just one of the activity tables at our Carnival that proves how it’s easy to make science cool for kids!

The weather was perfect, and so was almost everything else about this year's Cool Science Carnival Day at UCCS. Many folks commented that it was the best ever, and we agree!

If you were there, please let us know what you liked, didn't like, and if you have any ideas about how we can make it even better next year by commenting below (you may need to click on the "# Comments" link first to open the blog post). 

You can also comment and share your photos (we love photos!) on our Carnival Day Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2051269988227340/

Thanks to everyone who made it a great day, especially our sponsors and all of the organizations who provided the shows, tours, workshops and hands-on activity stations!

Join us once again for the Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival! Mark your calendars for October 13-21, as Cool Science celebrates the wonders of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math in this jam-packed week of activities for the entire family!
 
The festival starts with a bang at The Cool Science Carnival Day for Kids (lots of fun for all ages), which will be held on the UCCS campus on October 13th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

​Activities will range from spectacular shows about chemistry and explosions, to hands-on training on how to make your own ice cream using liquid nitrogen, to meeting a crew of firefighters. Kids and adults will also get to enjoy a pop-up planetarium with Challenger Learning Center, watch master magician Bruce Black blend comedy, magic, and science principles to take the audience on an amazing magical journey to the planet Mars, meet and greet with animals from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, play with life-sized replicas of R2-D2 and BB8 from Star Wars with the Mountain States Droid Builders, and cook mini s'mores in a real solar oven with Southeastern Colorado Renewable Energy Society.
 
For a full list of all the cool activities you can do on Carnival Day click HERE.