Who Knew Science Could be Such a Blast!
Discovery Cube’s Pumpkin Launch
Guest post by Sharron Jackson
Perfect temperatures, music pumping, and giant pumpkins falling from the clear, blue sky. Now THAT’S what my family calls a perfect fall day! This was the scene today at Cal State Fullerton where the Discovery Cube’s Annual Pumpkin Launch took place.
Arriving early with our camping chairs and lunch cooler, we weren’t sure what to expect. We just moved to So Cal this summer, and this was our first time attending what has become quite the popular (and FREE!) family event. We set our chairs up along the ropes to reserve a front-row view for the main event—the Pumpkin Launch—and set out to discover what the Discovery Cube and its partners had cooked up.
The grassy field before us was a STEM wonderland! So much to blast and catapult, slide down and build! From building their own craft-stick catapults and launching mini-marshmallows to creating reaction rockets and watching their film can caps burst high into the air, my kids had a blast (literally)!
We returned to our camp chairs just in time to watch a live science stage show as we ate lunch. My kids watched wide-eyed as a gentleman from the Discovery Cube treated the audience to all kinds of liquid nitrogen hijinks (the “don’t try this at home” type of fun).
At last the main event began, and like the rest of the day, it did not disappoint. 15 teams participated, from college engineering clubs to a middle school tech team and a local family. Each had built trebuchets and used them to catapult pumpkins towards various targets spread out in a large field. There is nothing like watching an orange gourd soar through the air and crash to the ground, smashing dramatically. Several teams successfully hit targets, and each time the crowd went wild, including my little family! Too fun!
The Pumpkin Launch fun has only just begun for our homeschooling family. We brought home the craft-stick trebuchets the kids made today and plan on using them to test which objects catapult the farthest and how mass impacts the flight distance (think jelly beans, craft pom-poms, marshmallows, Lego pieces, etc.). If you didn’t make it to the Pumpkin Launch this year, check out the Nov. 4 post “How to Make a Catapult with Craft Sticks – Homeschool Science!” to make catapults using items you probably already have laying around.
After today, I have a feeling the Discovery Cube’s Annual Pumpkin Launch is going to become an annual tradition for our family!
{A big THANK YOU to Sharron for doing this guest post for the Discovery Cube’s Pumpkin Launch! This is a tradition we have been trying to do in our family for the last three years, but it always feels like something comes up. (This year we were serving at a deaf school in Mexico… and that was pretty epic. I’ll be sharing about that here soon!) If you want to read more from Sharron here is her blog: Such as These. ~KN}
The next event at The Discovery Science Cube is the Science of Gingerbread! Which I have been to before! It runs from November 27th thru January 3rd.
This exhibit is all about science at work in the kitchen. The Cube has hands-on activities that will bring your family together. AND you’ll get to see their award winning Gingerbread Competition entries displayed through out the Cube! That is so much fun!
What to expect at the Science of Gingerbread: Santa (hello, awesome!!), decorate and eat, holiday cookies (hello, sugar!!), build and race your own candy car (hello, activities!!), then you can go home with worn out kids (hello, naps!!!).
I can’t wait. Meet me there!
~KN
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