The science wing at BH-BL High School was abuzz with excitement as fourth-grade students filled the laboratory classrooms and participated in the district’s Science Demo Day, featuring experiments designed and led by National Science Honor Society high schoolers. This annual event brings together younger and older students for an event full of hands-on learning, sparking curiosity and fostering a love for scientific discovery.
BH-BL high school students in advanced science classes and members of the National Science Honor Society spent weeks developing engaging and educational experiments specifically tailored for their younger counterparts.
“We wanted to make science fun and accessible,” said a high school student who was adjusting her safety glasses before digging her hands into a slime experiment. “Seeing their faces light up when an experiment works is really rewarding.”
The high school science labs were transformed into vibrant work stations dedicated to various captivating experiments. Fourth graders eagerly moved from one experiment to another, some even carrying plastic baggies of the slime they created.
One of the most popular stations was “Slime Time,” where students mixed polymers to create gooey, stretchy slime of various colors. “It’s so squishy!” exclaimed one fourth-grade student, his hands covered in blue slime.
Another hit was “Magic Milk,” an experiment demonstrating surface tension and chemical reactions using milk, food coloring, and dish soap, creating mesmerizing swirling patterns.
The colorful “Glow-in-the-Dark Bubbles” station drew a crowd as students lined up to blow bubbles into a blacklight box after they learned about luminescence and created bubbles that glow under blacklight.
The dramatic “Elephant Toothpaste” experiment, which produces a towering column of foam from a simple chemical reaction, elicited gasps of awe from the young scientists who were the ones taking turns pouring and mixing the chemicals to create the reaction!
Other stations explored fundamental scientific principles. “Magnetic Force” allowed students to experiment with magnets and various materials, while “Snowstorm in a Jar” demonstrated density and solubility, creating miniature winter wonderlands. The “Slinky Bubbles” experiment provided a visual lesson on vibrations.
And that’s just naming a few of the many science stations fourth graders got to experiment with on Science Demo Day.
“It’s incredible to see our students so engaged,” said K-12 Science Department Administrator Bill McQuay. “The high schoolers did an amazing job breaking down complex scientific concepts into fun, understandable activities. This kind of collaborative learning is invaluable.”
