| Five-year-old
Lateefah Cavit likes staring at the stars, counting numbers and studying panda
bears. Her day-care buddy, Clayton RusseIl-Madonia, also age five, thinks
it's pretty neat to plant seeds arid watch them grow into flowers. The
pair may not know it, but they're budding young scientists, finding thrills in
learning how things work. And that, say organizers of the upcoming Bayview-Hunters
Point neighborhood science extravaganza, is exactly what they're trying to accomplish.
"Science is very important for our urban children because they need to
know how the world works. not just believe the fantasy they see on TV, said Josephine
Stewart, of the Whitney Young Child Development Center, which is organizing the
two-day public science fest March 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. "When
kids drink milk, they need to know the milk comes from a cow, not a carton. When
they plug something into an outlet, they need to know where electricity comes
from," she said. The festival, called Science Explodes in the Bayview-Hunters
Point Community will be a mix of hands-on experiments such as finding out how
magnets work and how light and sound travel and tours of neighborhood facilities. Participants
will take field trips to a wastewater treatment plant, a television station, Candlestick
Point Recreation Area and thegeneral mail facility on Evans Avenue. |
Also on hand will be health workers, laser specialists, pigmy goals, aviators
and astronomers, among others. The Bayview Opera House will he showing science
films on subjects ranging from dinosaurs to light bulbs. The purpose of
the festival, organizers say, is to show not only children, but also adults, that
science is everywhere, even in their own backyard. Local businesses also
are participating by donating supplies and hosting displays. "It's a real
community effort," said Stewart. Whitney Young Child Development Center,
which provides child-care services for approximately 150 children aged 2 to 12
years 24 hours a day, has incorporated science into is everyday activities. Three
years ago a hall of science was installed at the center, located high on a hill
near Third Street and Newcomb Avenue. Turtles, a snake, birds and their
nests, fish, skeletons, mice, rocks and feathers, all donated by neighborhood
residents line a long hall that runs outside the classrooms. "We've got
to teach the kids early on not to be afraid of science, said Stewart."If they're
interested in it now, they may end up pursuing careers in science, something a
lot of kids in our neighborhood never before thought possible." |
