Science Days enthrall young people of Chadron

Third, fourth, and fifth grade students seemed ecstatic to learn about the Martian landscape, from how it forms to how it changes over time. Rovers on Mars were discussed, and rocks similar to some NASA has uncovered on Mars were passed around for the children to examine.

Under the direction of CSC students and faculty, kids collected rocks outside the Math and Science building. Back inside, participants were shown pictures of Mars on a slide show presented by Physical and Life Science Instructor Jen Balmat. Students were challenged to think about how the surfaces of Mars were formed. Suggestions included erosion, asteroids, and wind, although Balmat noted that no one knows for certain what formed valleys and craters on Mars.

Students were then given the opportunity to make their own craters. Each group received a ping-pong ball and marble, along with the rocks they had collected. They weighed the objects, and dish tubs filled with sand were distributed. The tubs were placed on the floor for the students to roll their objects off the tables and into the tubs. Balmat drew up an organizational chart on the chalkboard with three categories—object, weight, and crater size—for the students to copy down in their scientific notebooks. Students were then able to grasp the correlation between the object, object’s weight, and the size of the craters.

The next Science Days is planned for 8:30 a.m., Saturday in the Math and Science building.