It’s that time of year again to hype up the Cool Science Carnival Day! It is held at UCCS at 1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, Colorado Springs on Saturday, September 30 from 10 am to 4 pm, open to kids grades K-8 (but flexible). This STEAM event has it all: Chemistry Magic Show, Anatomy theatre, Computer Science, AI, Pop-up Planetarium, Physics and more! We’re particularly biased in our excitement and support of club member Michael Williams’ table with hands-on mycological activities.
Last year, Michael’s station had a wide range of options for kids to learn and experience mushrooms. Graphic charts of the nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, and mushroom life cycle showed details that can’t be shown in a real model setting, explaining how mushrooms digest and decompose.
A soil food web terrarium provided an active model of the nitrogen cycle and carbon cycle, including mycelium to show how the mushrooms break down material from the environment above and process it in the ground below. It’s a perfect model of symbiosis. Throwing in some live insects at the last moment before the carnival adds extra excitement and interest for the kids. Michael loves using this as a way to explain how the world would be full of trash if it weren’t for mushrooms.
Live growing oyster and lion’s mane gave understanding of edible options, different from the grocery store standards. Foraged ganoderma samples allowed for teaching beneficial medicinal properties.
Two microscopes were helpful in managing the thousands of kids who come through the carnival. When time allowed, Michael loved teaching the kids how to prepare slides themselves. When time didn’t allow, he had pre-prepped slides ready to look at spores and mushroom anatomy. This lit up the kids who came to participate as well as Michael himself. Microscopy is a passion of his and he’s always excited to talk about and explain the things he studies with it. A second pair of hands and knowledge from James helped things run smoothly in handling and teaching so many kids.
Every year is different, so come bring your kids to the Cool Science Carnival Day and see what he’s got put together for this year!