There was plenty of ooohs and aaahs last week at the Rimbey Elementary School as they welcomed the Telus World of Science and as an added bonus, the students had the opportunity to get some hands-on learning about science.
Featuring topics such as aerodynamics and flight, classroom chemistry, boats and buoyancy and lights and shadows, to name a few, the students were both entertained and taught.
“I’m here in Rimbey doing an outreach program from the Telus World of Science in Edmonton bringing hands-on science programming that suits the curriculum per grade,” said Facilitator Louis Cheng who added that the tour included a wide variety of experiments designed for different age groups.
“It varies per grade. With the Grade 3 class, we just finished a building unit that we got to construct with some very specialized Lego sets and I’m preparing for a Kindergarten and Grade 1 class where we’ll talk about weather changes and extremely cold temperatures where I bring in some liquid nitrogen,” Cheng said.
As for the students themselves, Cheng said it didn’t take much to capture and hold their attention.
“The students here are absolutely fantastic. When you bring in any sort of presenter into a school and when you bring a lot of neat things, it’s pretty easy to get students riled up,” he said. “But I think the most important part is to get the staff motivated as well to bring new and interesting techniques and experiments in that they can take to their classrooms and copy as well.”
Cheng said the stop in Rimbey is part of a larger tour that will see the exhibit visit most of the province with the exception of a 100-kilometre radius of Alberta’s two biggest cities.
“Often communities outside of Edmonton and Calgary have limited resources and bussing an entire school is unreasonable and some people think unsafe,” he said. “So we take on that risk and that budget and we go out and travel to the schools.”
Cheng said touring the province and talking science with young minds has proved to be very rewarding for himself as well as the students he visits.
“It’s absolutely fantastic. I’ve been doing this for about four years now with no end in sight. It’s very personally satisfying,” he said. “I can put my head on the pillow and say I’ve done something good for a community and I get to see a lot of neat things too.”
In closing, Cheng added that he feels right at home not only in the school, but out in the community as well.
“Rimbey’s been really great and welcoming,” he added. “I’ve met some really nice people here and all the local businesses have welcomed me with open arms so thank you Rimbey.”
For more information on the tour, or to see some of the exciting exhibits that are currently on display or are scheduled for the next few months, please check out their website at: www.telusworldofscienceedmonton.com