Jordan Gerard/Winonan

Students at Madison Elementary School launched marshmallows, made their hair stand up and burned paper at Science Fun Night last Friday.

Winona State University’s physics and astronomy club, along with the geology club, hosted the event. Kindergarteners through fourth grade students got interactive with all areas of science from physics and electricity to geology and astronomy.

The most popular experiment was the marshmallow catapult. Kids followed Rose Coughlen, president of the physics and astronomy club, as she showed them how to make the catapults from everyday household items.

“The kids like seeing the different experiments,” Coughlen said, “and we like playing with the science toys.”

The catapults were made of clothespins, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, binder clips and plastic spoons. When the catapults were finished, they launched mini-marshmallows at a target. Soon, the floor surrounding the catapult area was covered in marshmallows.

Faces smiled with the electrostatic generator, a large sphere that produced static electricity. When touched, kids’ hair stood on end.

Another popular experiment was the friction station. The experiment was hitting two metal balls against one another with a piece of paper between them. In the tiny amount of time that the balls collided, the friction was enough to burn a small hole in the paper.

Other experiments included producing electricity with hand-crank generators. The hand crank was connected to the small bulb with a wire, and when students turned the handle, the bulb would light up. The brightness of the light depended on how fast the students turned the handle.

The geology club had volcanic rocks and dinosaur bones to show the kids. The astronomy club had brought a telescope and explained how to use it.

Besides introducing the students to science, it was also an opportunity for science education majors to practice their teaching skills.

Winona State students demonstrated and explained how the experiments worked.

“It’s a good opportunity to get to know the area schools especially since a lot of Winona State students often student teach here,” Coughlen said.

This was the clubs’ first year at Madison Elementary, Coughlen said, but they get requests to do this event every year at other schools in Winona. Three more schools have requested the Science Fun Night for this year.

Contact Jordan at [email protected]