Bubbles and science all about blowing your mind
Regardless of age, humans appear to have a universal response when confronted by a glistening, oversized bubble: Pop it.
‘‘I think it could be as simple as here’s something that wasn’t there a moment ago, and now it is, and we want to engage with it,’’ Emma Lucas said.
Lucas embodies the mantra of making learning fun, Yesterday, she ntertained about 120 children and parents at the Hamilton Gardens with her travelling show Whizz Bang Science.
Using the medium of bubbles, Lucas’ show introduced concepts such a gravity and surface tension, and explained why, if you fill a bubble with helium, it floats to the ceiling.
Now based in Cambridge, Lucas previously spent eight years introducing children to science at an outreach centre in Perth.
A main aim of her shows is to get children interested in the world around them, as well as give parents the confidence to talk about science at home.
‘‘There’s this perception that science is only done by smart people,’’ Lucas said.
‘‘But science is all around us and parents shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it with their children.
‘‘I’d love it if children went home and start blowing bubbles, or maybe bake a cake, or go outside and plant a vegetable garden and watch plants grow.’’
While Lucas’ show is all about making science fun, she had a few ground rules for the eager young audience sitting before her.
‘‘Behind the red line is your space and beyond the red line is my space,’’ she told the weekend’s audience members, all of whom appeared transfixed by the floating bubbles in front of them.
A few audience members, such as 6-year-old Ava-Lee Watkins, got called to the stage to help Lucas.
Ava-Lee’s big moment came when she donned a raincoat and tiny umbrella and stepped inside a giant bubble.
‘‘It was fun and exciting and I could breathe the air inside the bubble,’’ AvaLee said.