Science games at SMV on Saturday

Ready. Aim. Fire. Load a ball covered with rubber filaments into a giant slingshot and let it fly. Run a relay race with a twist. Fly a paper airplane you have designed to see if yours can stay in the air the longest. It’s all at the Science Museum of Virginia’s Science Games on Sat., […]

April 14, 2008; 1:46 PM • by FTRea

Ready. Aim. Fire. Load a ball covered with rubber filaments into a giant slingshot and let it fly. Run a relay race with a twist. Fly a paper airplane you have designed to see if yours can stay in the air the longest. It’s all at the Science Museum of Virginia’s Science Games on Sat., Apr. 19, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Aim for the bull’s-eye in Catapult. Use a giant slingshot to make your mark with the squishy rubber ball. Compete to see who is best at hitting the target. Turn a piece of paper and one paperclip into an airplane designed to stay in the air as long as possible. Compete with your friends to see which plane is last to stop flying.

Gather a team for a different kind of race — Twice as Fast. You can walk or run down a course, but when you turn around and come back you must move twice as fast. There’s a catch — you can’t use a stopwatch. Create a small barge using aluminum foil at Build a Barge.

How many pennies can you put in the barge before it sinks? Use paper, string, paperclips and rubber bands to make a parachute. Test it in Parachute Drop.

Prizes are awarded at 1 and 3 p.m. the highest scores determine placement. Score tracking sheets are available at the registration table. Tidewater Community College Professor David Wright and his students have designed the games as a fun way to learn physics and explore science.

Science Games is included with exhibit admission. Science Museum exhibit tickets are $9 for youth ages 4-12, seniors who are 60+ and active military, and $10 for adults ages 13-59. Children 3 and under are free. The Science Museum is open Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

For Science Museum information call 804-864-1400 or 800-659-1727, or click here to visit the SMV website. The Science Museum is located at 2500 West Broad Street.

– The information above was provided by Nancy Tait at the Science Museum

April 14, 2008 1:46 PM 0