Carson-area children enjoy ‘Dangerously Awesome Science Camp’

The Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada has hosted a weeklong science camp. But 9-year-old Byron Schnell-Davis came up with a better name for it.

“Warning: Dangerously Awesome Science Camp,” he suggested.

Byron was among the group of children who conducted experiments and played games this week in the name of science education.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “Sometimes, if you’re bored, you can just try out the stuff we’ve learned at science camp. Then, bam, you’re not bored anymore. There’s always an excitement.”

Mike Maiello, a teacher at Fremont Elementary School, led the students through a different scientific principle each day. On Thursday, they focused on air, playing games to generate wind power, then concluding with blowing plastic lids off of containers with a solution of baking soda and vinegar.

“I want them to understand that science is a lot of fun, and you can learn at the same time,” Maiello said. “Everything we do is hands-on.”

Neva Mellow, 6, has enjoyed the camp.

“We’ve done fun stuff and cool stuff,” she said. “Some made explosions on the ceiling. Some made big bubbles like balloons.”

And even when experiments went awry, said Angela Fulton, 7, it still was a learning experience.

“We made bouncy balls, but mine didn’t work, so we made something else out of them,” she said.

The camp runs 8:30-11 a.m. and concludes today.