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Biggest Kids Day Yet a Roaring
Success
By Teresa Troxel and Joni White
SLAC celebrated its third annual Kids Day
on Thursday, August 19. This year, six more workshops, the heart and
soul of the day, were added, bringing the number of workshops to 18. We
reached full capacity, accommodating 234 children ages 9-16.
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Photo courtesy of Lowell
Klaisner |
The program consisted of a welcome by
Anahid Yeremian (ARDA), morning and afternoon workshops, a lunch
and—after the ice cream social—a short science talk. All kids were given
a safety presentation by Gene Holden (KM) before being turned over to
their group leaders. Safety equipment such as glasses and ear plugs were
provided. Volunteer escorts conducted groups of kids with schedules and
maps in hand all over the SLAC site throughout the day.
Workshops were designed for two age groups
(9-12 years and 13-16 years). In at least one workshop per group, the
kids made something they could take home. Although most of the workshops
were technology oriented, such as electronics, mechanics, welding and
magnetics, many of the workshops were based on science including
biology, astrophysics and waves.
Each workshop was developed by a workshop
leader based on his or her job, who worked hard to design a program that
explained their work in an interesting and appropriate way for the
kids’s age—and was down right fun. This year, Adele Panofsky (DO) led a
special seminar about Paleontology. The kids got to dig for fossils in
the sandstone hills by the Research Yard!
Much planning went into the afternoon
science talk that was the grand finale to the day. Before trying to
gather 234 tired kids into the Auditorium, we all relaxed together over
ice cream. Then it was the task of Dr. Boom to lecture and demonstrate
science in a fun and interesting way. “I thought it was great, and my
boys were happy,” said Paul Miller (AD). He added that the event was
interesting and well organized.
Everyone is looking forward to Kids Day @
SLAC 2005 next summer!
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