By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The science night held at Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School was attended by hundreds of students and their families. The March 25 event invited students and their families from 5 to 7 p.m. to learn about the ecology of the mountain from booths sponsored by various local nonprofit groups.
Many booths featured hands-on activities the kids could explore. The children were introduced to various careers and ways that science topics affect their everyday lives.
Students learned about the way the Osbourne fire locator functions from hosts who volunteer at the Strawberry Peak fire lookout tower. They learned about structure and air flow by creating paper airplanes and seeing how the shape and size of the wings affect the flight of the planes.
The students saw a delightful display of local pine cones from the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust that helped them become expert pine cone identifiers. Some kids were surprised that some of the largest trees grow from some of the smallest pine cones. They also learned that pine cones are beneficial as a food source for several animals and that the cones propagate new trees.
The Mountain History Museum brought an animal display.
The students played “Booth Bingo” where they had to collect at least six stickers from the booths and then turn their bingo cards into the PTA coordinators. They received a sticker by talking with or asking questions of the booth hosts. Those who filled out their cards were entered into a drawing for numerous items all afternoon long. One of the top prizes was a set of binoculars and the bird watching book, Birding Guide to the San Bernardino Mountains which describes local places to watch specific birds. The book was written last year by a local youth, Ezra Murray.
The Mountain History Museum brought two stuffed forest animals from their collection, a racoon and squirrel, for the students to examine. Museum animal skins were also available for them to touch, including a fox, opossum, skunk, raccoon and bear. The exhibit included information sheets and activity sheets.
Lisa and Chris Johnson’s booth from Reptiles Are Worth Rescuing had live reptiles and snakes that children and parents could hold, as well as spiders, turtles, tarantulas and other unusual creatures in aquariums. Each child was given precise directions on how to properly hold the various animals. Several families returned several times to that booth to learn more about the animals and how to care for them.
Other interesting booths included the Inland Prospectors and Miners featuring minerals, crystals rocks and a metal detector demonstration. The California State University San Bernardino Observatory featured telescopes, and the Mountain Rim Fire Safe Council was there teaching about fire danger and the damage it causes. Justin and Brandy Wood taught about native plants. The Water Resources Institute from CSUSB was demonstrating water quality.
The science night was declared a success by MPH PTA organizer Erin Jones. Some of the teachers gave students the chance to earn extra school credit by attending. Overall, the students enjoyed browsing the hands-on science-related activities from local scientific organizations from the rim area.
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