Family Science Olympics returns to MHC foyer Saturday

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on October 15, 2024.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

This coming weekend holds an entire day of wonder and discovery for youths and their families, as the 32nd annual Family Science Olympics finds its way to the city on Saturday.

The Family Science Olympics is one of the Praxis Science Outreach Society’s signature events, said Patty Rooks, senior scientific consultant.

“We always really try to run this event, because it’s just a way of free outreach to the community and to get families involved with science alongside their kids,” said Rooks. “That’s one of the requirements, actually, we ask that an adult, someone over 18, be with the participants there the whole time. We really try to get the adults pulled into that engagement, too.”

Rooks assured there will be something for everyone, as they partner with the education students at Medicine Hat College to create a wide variety of activities. The event will be held in the foyer at the college, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“It really gives those students a chance to practise their skills, because they’ll have such a wide array of students on Saturday,” said Rooks. “They might have kids as young as two or three, or people as old as 99 or 100, since we often have a lot of grandparents bringing their grandkids to this event.”

The purpose of the event is just to continue to foster curiosity and ignite a love of science in the community’s youth, said Rooks. While some of these children might believe they don’t like science, most young people are naturally curious, and with all the activities available, she’s sure something will catch their eye.

Currently, the activities are being refined, said Rooks, as to make sure the materials won’t be cost prohibitive.

“That’s what Praxis is all about, doing things practical and at very little to no expense to get those materials to do science, and showing it can still be exciting,” said Rooks. “We don’t need thousands of dollars worth of equipment to do science. We can still do lots of great learning experiences at virtually no cost, things from around the house, the grocery store or the hardware store. We just need to sometimes think outside the box. That’s really what the day is about.”

The event is completely free to attend and families can pre-register upon arrival at Medicine Hat College, where they will receive a “passport” to help navigate and keep track of what activities they’ve taken part in throughout the day.

Rooks highlighted that there will also be prizes for participants to win, with some “pretty cool science stuff” up on offer for the grand prize draw.

Community partners, including Seven Skies Astronomy, will also be present, as well as information on the Regional Science Fair, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.

“The whole thing is come and go, so if you want to do one activity, if you only have a little bit of time that works great, we have some people that come for the whole day and that’s great too,” said Rooks. “We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone there.”

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