Clarkson University Honors Students Bring Hands-On STEM Fun to North Country Children’s Museum’s Science Spooktacular
Clarkson University Honors Program students and the Institute for STEM Education will take science beyond the classroom this Halloween season as they lead interactive, Halloween-themed experiments at the North Country Children’s Museum’s Science Spooktacular, taking place Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The annual Science Spooktacular transforms the museum into a hub of spooky discovery, where children and families can experience the magic of science through hands-on learning. In partnership with the museum, Clarkson Honors students have designed and will run a series of creative STEM-based activities that combine science education with Halloween fun.
One featured experiment, Static Bats, lets kids explore static electricity by charging balloons and using them to make lightweight paper bats “fly. The activity teaches how opposite charges attract and like charges repel—all while mixing science with a touch of Halloween magic.
In Creature Camouflage, young scientists will learn how animals hide from predators through color matching, mimicry, and active camouflage. Participants will design and disguise their own paper animals, hide them in a 3D habitat, and watch a programmed “predator” search for them—an imaginative blend of biology, technology, and art.
The Bone Bridge & Skeletal System activity connects engineering and anatomy in one spooktacular session. Kids will build Halloween-themed “Bone Bridges” using Q-Tips and pipe cleaners to explore the concepts of beams, columns, and forces, then switch gears to craft their own Q-Tip skeletons while learning about bones, joints, and the human body.
Visit the Institute for STEM Education website for more information about its outreach and collaboration, or contact the Institute at 315-268-6714 or stem@clarkson.edu. For more information about the North Country Children’s Museum, contact 315-274-9380 or info@northcountrychildrensmuseum.org.
