KCC Chem students mix it up with kids on Chemistry Day
Nicole Devriendt
Issue date: 12/4/06 Section: News
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Chemistry Day at Kirtland
By Nicole DeVriendt
Editor
It's a mystery for most what happens when you mix corn starch, food coloring, and water, but some pint-sized students found out last week when they attended KCC - Mystery Goo!
Chemistry Day at Kirtland was a big hit with the kids. Several classes and groups attended including Mr. Kemp's sixth grade class from Mio. The kids came to learn about chemistry in a fun way.
The children were able to make Mystery Goo and a number of different items including Ghastly Gak, a slimy substance as seen on Nickelodeon, sidewalk chalk and ice cream. An area girl scout troop and another fifth grade class came later in the week to get in on the fun.
Chemistry instructor Denise Kemp started Chemistry Day in 1999 to help her students, who were in pre-education, connect in a different way other than class room time. Mr. Kemp's sixth grade class was the first to attend Chemistry Day.
"I thought it would be a good way to give my students some experience with kids," Kemp said.
Kemp knew it would be good for her students to work one on one with the kids. Kemp's students earn fifty points for the project. The program was started as a community outreach project as well.
When the program began, chemistry instructor Kristy Gipson was a student of Kemps' and helped develop the program.
"It was a service learning project, so the kids would think science was cool and want to take science here at Kirtland," Gipson said. Now as an instructor, Gipson is committed to keeping the program going with her own students.
The day also had some practical purposes for Kirtland's chemistry students, Gipson explained.
"It also gave our (KCC) students something to write about for chemistry," Gipson said.
And from the KCC students' standpoint, it was a change from their regular class.
"This is a nice break," three students said simultaneously as they cleaned up afterward.
The students that are in chemistry get to bring in their own children for Chemistry Day. Their children get to see where mom or dad goes to school and what their doing in class all day. The kids may think mom or dad has fun making goo and ice cream in class all day.
By Nicole DeVriendt
Editor
It's a mystery for most what happens when you mix corn starch, food coloring, and water, but some pint-sized students found out last week when they attended KCC - Mystery Goo!
Chemistry Day at Kirtland was a big hit with the kids. Several classes and groups attended including Mr. Kemp's sixth grade class from Mio. The kids came to learn about chemistry in a fun way.
The children were able to make Mystery Goo and a number of different items including Ghastly Gak, a slimy substance as seen on Nickelodeon, sidewalk chalk and ice cream. An area girl scout troop and another fifth grade class came later in the week to get in on the fun.
Chemistry instructor Denise Kemp started Chemistry Day in 1999 to help her students, who were in pre-education, connect in a different way other than class room time. Mr. Kemp's sixth grade class was the first to attend Chemistry Day.
"I thought it would be a good way to give my students some experience with kids," Kemp said.
Kemp knew it would be good for her students to work one on one with the kids. Kemp's students earn fifty points for the project. The program was started as a community outreach project as well.
When the program began, chemistry instructor Kristy Gipson was a student of Kemps' and helped develop the program.
"It was a service learning project, so the kids would think science was cool and want to take science here at Kirtland," Gipson said. Now as an instructor, Gipson is committed to keeping the program going with her own students.
The day also had some practical purposes for Kirtland's chemistry students, Gipson explained.
"It also gave our (KCC) students something to write about for chemistry," Gipson said.
And from the KCC students' standpoint, it was a change from their regular class.
"This is a nice break," three students said simultaneously as they cleaned up afterward.
The students that are in chemistry get to bring in their own children for Chemistry Day. Their children get to see where mom or dad goes to school and what their doing in class all day. The kids may think mom or dad has fun making goo and ice cream in class all day.
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