Matt Wilson holds Science Night

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University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences student Kaitlyn Lancaster passes out worms during her "Painting with worms" exhibit. Charles Spencer fifth grader Alicia Boone, right, seems a bit apprehensive about the medium. Special to The Gazette
UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences student Madeline Robertson talks with a fifth grader while holding a parrot during Tuesday's Science Night event. Special to The Gazette

March 6, 2013

Matt Wilson holds Science Night

Clint Thompson/University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences CNHI The Tifton Gazette Wed Mar 06, 2013, 09:20 PM EST

TIFTON — Painting with worms. Learning more about birds.

Matching wits with parents over fifth grade science questions. Those were just a few of the activities area fifth graders were able to participate in Tuesday night as part of Science Night at the Matt Wilson Elementary cafeteria.

"It¹s really fun because you get to learn about a lot of different things you might not get to learn about in school," said fifth grader Phoebe Beard.

Theresa Futch and daughter, Audra, were also in attendance and enjoyed every minute. "It¹s a learning experience for the parent and the children," she said. "Who would ever thought you would color (with) a worm?"

Painting with worms was one of the more popular activities.

Fifth graders used worms that were provided, along with different colors of paint, and moved them on a white piece of paper. This gave the children a chance to study the worms' movement.

The event, which was sponsored by University of Georgia Tifton Campus students and the UGA STARS (Students & Teachers Applying Real-Life Science) Program, allowed UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences students to teach numerous aspects of science, which is what Charles Spencer fifth grader Alicia Boone loves most.

"There¹s a lot of stuff in (science)," said Boone. "You learn about electricity and sometimes you get to make models and stuff. Some of the animals, some of them are cool but some of them I just don¹t like."

One animal Boone has a fondness for is a parrot, which is what biological science student Madeline Robertson talked about in her exhibit. The Tifton native shared her knowledge about the bird species with many eager fifth graders, while displaying the colorful creature on her shoulder.

"A lot of people don¹t understand that birds aren¹t just mammals. It¹s a totally different category in itself," Robertson said.

"That¹s not really as emphasized when they¹re in school. I wanted to get that out there. Also, you see them everywhere. People don¹t understand whythey fly, what helps them to do it, what their beaks are for."

In another booth, students built their own fun bug using toothpicks and marshmallows. Leading the lesson was Blake Jones, a junior from Jacksonville, Ga. The aspiring agriculture teacher learned first hand what it would be like to convey knowledge to the younger generation.

"It¹s a challenge in a sense because I¹m used to conversing with peers my own age," Jones said. "But also I enjoy it. It¹s very fun. It teaches me how to condense it down, kind of simplify things to get on people¹s level and try to help teach them more. It¹s a joy to work with them and teach somebody something new."

One activity gave the boys and girls a chance to solve an electricity puzzle, in which they had to work with different switches to turn a light on. Nine different activities were featured. Other categories displayed were plant parts and growth, decomposition (will it rot or not?), DNA and beach reclamation.

The family event drew approximately 60 fifth graders from Matt Wilson and Charles Spencer elementary schools along with their parents and siblings.

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