Posted on Fri, Apr. 29, 2011

Science came to life for the students of Wilson Elementary School in Modesto on Friday afternoon.

More than 300 students took part in the first Wilson Day of Science, a schoolwide science fair. The event was funded by a science and technology education grant from Toshiba that Wilson kindergarten teacher Liz Uva applied for last year.

All students in kindergarten through sixth grade participated, rotating through a series of hands-on science experiments. There were close to 40 exhibits and demonstrations.

Uva, who received the $957 grant, said she wanted to expand the science demonstrations she already did in her classroom to the whole school. The idea was to make science fun and interactive.

"First of all, I wanted this to be a great time for kids at the school," she said. "Also, each experiment also has vocabulary words and objectives. So they're learning more, too."

Uva worked with Girl Scout Troop 3415 leader Lynn Harris to coordinate the event. Five of Harris' Girl Scouts worked on the project as a way to earn their Silver Award. Together they secured donations and volunteers from more than a dozen area companies, businesses and agencies.

Some 90 volunteers and 13 Wilson teachers pitched in to lead experiment stations. The workshops were split into zoology and ecology, chemistry and human biology, Earth science and physics categories. Students from all grades were mixed together in the groups. The stations spanned the entire campus, inside and out.

Fourth-grader Karen Padilla-Perez said it was a fun way to get out of the classroom and learn.

"You can go to lots of places, instead of just staying in one place to see things," she said. "You find out what happens when you mix stuff together or how sound travels."

Experiments ranged from meeting a live tarantula to extracting DNA from a strawberry, sorting through owl pellets, making ice cream and even dissecting a sheep's eyeball.

Nikaela Harris, one of the Girl Scouts who worked on the project, said the students were eager and engaged, asking lots of questions.

"They are really, really excited to go around the school and learn more science," said Harris, a seventh- grader at Roosevelt Junior High. "It has been really cool."

Uva said if they can secure more funding, the school would like to make the Science Day an annual event. The students, it seemed, wouldn't mind.

"I learned a about a lot of things," said first-grader Nayeli Bojorquez. "And it was just fun."

Bee staff writer Marijke Rowland can be reached at mrowland@modbee.com or (209) 578-2284.Making Science FunPhotosbyDarrylBush • dbush@modbee.com