Mrs. West’s Kindergarten Science Club visits the Headwaters Science Center in Bemidji

By Michael Barrett

Red Lake Net News

      A tarantula may bite a person if threatened, and that bite may hurt quite a bit, but they are not poisonous. I had always assumed they were, so not only did I have the opportunity to take a little trip with the Science Club, but I also learned something. Not that I would still like the idea of a tarantula crawling up my leg.

      The tarantula was just one of the live specimens on exhibit at the Headwaters Science Center in Bemidji when Mrs. West’s Science Club had the opportunity to visit there on Tuesday, November 18, 2003. Originally, a representative of the Center was scheduled to visit their classroom, but had to cancel because of another engagement. To make up for the cancellation, they invited the group to come and visit there instead–which turned out to be a very good compromise for the children.

      The kindergarten class also learned about a 2-3 inch cockroach (that almost got away from the guide), the blue-tongued lizard, the corn snake, and turtles.

      Since the beginning of the school year this Science Club has been meeting for two hours after school every other Wednesday, where they learn about a variety of science projects, interact with nature, and just have fun while learning at the same time.

      Other things the students had the opportunity to interact with, was a ball throwing cage that determined how fast one threw the ball, some magic mirrors that distorted a person actual look, they got to see an 8 foot boa constrictor in a glass cage, had the opportunity to sit in a replica of a tractor, build things with Lego blocks, play with an air cannon that hovered a ball high in air, listen to their voices through a tunnel, viewed a hot air balloon, checked out a bicycle gyroscope, listened to a whispering dish, and many other things all in the spirit of science.

      I wished science would have been as interesting back in my school days.

      In talking about some of the insects, reptiles and animals at the Center, the kids had the opportunity to ask questions, to observe them, as well as even pet or hold some of them to see how they felt.

      The Headwaters Science Center is located in downtown Bemidji, and is a non-profit facility under a parent organization called Opportunities in Science, Inc. The Center is dedicated to science education and environmental awareness. It features hands-on exhibits, a live animal collection and special events and science programs and demonstrations. It has been open since 1994.

      Further information on the Headwaters Science Center is available at their website, www.hscbemidji.org.