On March 2, Asbury University and the Shaw School of Sciences welcomed children from the community to campus to participate in the annual Kids College event. This is a science-based outreach event hosted by Asbury’s Sigma Zeta Honor Society that is designed for students in K-8th Grade to have fun and learn.
A total of 200 kids attend Kids College. They were broken up into two groups, with the first 100 in the morning from 9-12:30 and a different 100 in the afternoon from 1:30-5, with a free lunch provided in between. The kids are divided into smaller groups by age, with the younger ones doing a basic science camp while the older ones rotate through stations with activities and experiments relating to chemistry, biology, math and physics. According to Joanna Jung, publicist for Sigma Zeta, “They’re basically learning big ideas and how they can be made fun, and how they could apply in such a setting.”
This year they got to participate in hands-on chemistry experiments, see different plants and animals up close in the biology lab and watch a physics demonstration. Kids got to learn about aerodynamics using paper airplanes and do an experiment that involved turning milk into plastic. “We want them to be interested, informed, and most importantly know that science is a lot of fun and give them lots of opportunities to explore that,” Jung said.
“It is a very well-received event, the kids have a blast,” said Dr. Laura Walther, staff advisor for Sigma Zeta, “registration went live the first Friday in February at 10 o’clock, and by noon it was full.”
Jung explained that Kids College is their big event of the year and that it is almost entirely student-run. “How we go about it,” she said, “is the whole of Sigma Zeta will come up with ideas for the activities we’re going to have, getting items, logistics, dividing responsibilities for the day of the program.” On the day of the event, cabinet members are assigned as leaders for each section. “All the Sigma Zeta members are invested,” said Jung, “we take pride in it.”
There were also 80 Asbury volunteers overseeing the event, which is the largest volunteer turnout to date. Volunteers are not limited to students in STEM programs; any major is welcome to volunteer, allowing those within the Asbury community to share with those outside of it. “The volunteers are the ones taking care of groups of kids, teaching, taking care of Kindergarteners, registration, and any miscellaneous task you can think of,” Jung explained. When asked about her favorite part about Kids College, Noah Clark, senior biology major and volunteer, said, “What I enjoy most about it is seeing the kids learn to love science.”
Kids College is also designed to benefit children who may not ordinarily have access to lab equipment, such as homeschooled students who may not always get to experience the hands-on side of scientific learning. The ultimate goal of Kids College, according to Dr. Walther, is “to generate excitement about science. We want them to know science can be fun and to invite interest in STEM.”
Featured image by Joanna Jung.