Getting an opportunity to display the projects that appear
on my Science Guy website is always a thrill for me no matter how small the
venue. Having the opportunity to display
at STEM Day at the Minnesota State Fair has had me wild with anticipation for months;
just think over 100,000 people came to the fair on that first day. In reality like every show only a fraction of
the people will stop by my booth but enough interested people did come by that
I was busy talking most of the time. What I enjoy most however is listening to
the people talk and to their questions about what I have on my table for
display.
The big hit of my projects and the most interactive was the
Syringe Hydraulic Arm, kids and many adults had so much fun manipulating the
arm with the syringes. I would overhear
a father tell his son something about this is how the lift on the tractor
works. Actually that is probably the
most rewarding thing I see is parents relating something about my projects to
their children and shared experiences. For example looking at my model wind
turbine and talking about the giant wind turbines they see on the way to the
grandparents along the highway. Next biggest thrill is when I see people taking
cellphone pictures of one of my projects to capture a certain idea.
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| Syringe Hydraulic Arm |
It appeared that many of the parents with kids were looking
for ideas for future projects in school science fairs. Several people asked me if I go out into the
schools for presentations, I have done some of that in local schools but living
in Winona it would be a long trip for a 40 minute presentation.
One table had almost all foam model airplanes both gliders
and rubber powered. This has been my latest website article and an activity
that I think offers a lot of benefits for the cost. Several people I talked to have also had the
experience that balsa wood model planes are too fragile for many kids, foam
appears to hold up better.
Thanks to all the people, organizations, and companies that
made STEM at the Minnesota State Fair possible.
Bill Kuhl
http://www.ideas-inspire.com
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