PCEC News
PCEC Outreach Participates in Roger That!
February 15, 2020
This year's Roger That! Conference at the Grand Rapids Public Museum aligned with the GVSU Making Waves Initiative. As part of the conference, the PCEC K-12 Community Outreach group provided water-related and STEM activities to visitors at the museum.
Students had the opportunity to create origami fish, complete with a googly eye. This fun craft involved students in process planning and following instructions.
Trays of regular sand and "magic" sand were a hit among participants. Magic sand is just regular sand that is coated with a silicon vapor to make it repel water and demonstrates the application of nanotechnology. Students experimented with the sand by pouring water in each tray and watching how the regular sand absorbed the water and the magic sand repelled the water. They also learned about applications of magic sand, such as cleaning up oil spills. Because magic sand will absorb oil and repel water, it soaks up the oil spilled into the water and leaves the clean water behind.
Participants also got to take home “Seeds in my Beads” containers. Kids put water beads and wheat grass seeds into a condiment cup with a little bit of water, and watched the water beads grow to about 300% of their original size. Once the wheat grass begins to grow, students can transplant them into dirt at home.
Visit the PCEC Outreach website for more information on how PCEC engages with K-12 students.
Learn more about the Making Waves Initiative.