COSI workshops jump-start discovery for young kids

He’s not yet in kindergarten, but Lincoln Murphy is already quite the budding scientist.

According to his mother, Julie Murphy, the 4-year-old reads National Geographic Kids and other educational magazines. And last summer, Lincoln spent an afternoon studying the flight path of a piece of ribbon when thrown into a sprinkler at various angles.

Such curiosity comes natural to the boy, so when his mom learned that COSI Columbus would be hosting hands-on scientific workshops for youngsters, she eagerly signed him up.

“I thought, ‘This will be so perfect for Lincoln,’” said Murphy, who lives in Pickerington with Lincoln and her husband, Mike

Murphy. “These classes really just seemed right up his alley.”

Debuting in October, the twice-monthly Try-it Together Workshops invite parents to join their kids in science, technology, engineering and math activities. The next class will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday; the topic will be animals.

The idea is to introduce science to children between ages 2 and 6.

“This was an extra step to help them develop and get ready for when they go to kindergarten,” said Quincey Chambers, the early childhood education specialist at COSI who teaches the classes. “Just to get them excited about learning and excited about science.”

Each session is limited to 40 people — roughly 20 children and 20 adults — and Chambers recommends registering online.

The hourlong workshops — which Chambers connects to careers in fields such as medicine, zoology and engineering — include demonstrations and handson activities.

At a November workshop covering force and motion, Lincoln and his grandfather Joe Bigler sent marble balls careening down makeshift ramps to study gravity and put Alka-seltzer in a test tube to pop the cork off the top. He also attended a workshop on the human body, where he assembled X-rays, measured heart rates and played with real medical tools.

Murphy said they’re also planning to attend February’s workshop on weather and the final workshop in March, which is about dinosaurs.

She said her son has had a blast so far, and, more importantly, she believes he’ll be well-prepared when he starts kindergarten.

“At his age, they are such sponges and they take in everything,” Murphy said. “It’s been a really great way to introduce science to him.”