STEAM Center encourages youngsters to egg-splore

Sep. 13—Makenzie Carranco took extra care preparing her egg for its space shuttle ride at Muskogee STEAM Center Saturday.

"I don't want mine to get hurt," the 8-year-old said as she wrapped it in tape, felt and cotton balls.

Makenzie, her sisters, cousins and others experienced science in action at Muskogee STEAM Center. The center, which is open Saturdays, teaches science, technology, engineering, arts and math in fun ways.

"We offer hands-on activities and things for kids to explore," center director Sandy Oney said. "Maybe with things parents don't have at home. They can see science and math in action."

The center offers different art or science activity each week, Oney said.

Saturday marked "Eggy's Blast Off," where youngsters had to wrap a raw egg to keep it from cracking on impact.

Retired Muskogee teacher Georgie Chapuis brought three grandchildren and great grandchild to experiment with the eggs. She helped them wrap their eggs in plastic bags.

"If you bundle it up enough — your egg — you can put stuff all around it, and then it will take a trip," Chapuis said.

The girls wrapped their bagged eggs in a cushion of tape, ribbon, rubber bands, cotton balls, felt and pipe cleaners. Each egg was placed on a wooden space shuttle, which was set high on a diagonal string. Once someone let go of the shuttle, it whooshed down the string and hit a surface on the bottom.

They youngsters opened their Baggies to see if the egg survived the ride or broke into egg drop soup.

On Saturday, youngsters can make nebula spin art.

"A nebula is a sun that's dying and the gas and dust is going out into space," Oney said. "We put paint inside a spinner and it spins out."

They make Alka-Seltzer rockets on Sept. 21, she said.

"We have a film canister and the kids put Alka-Seltzer and water and put the lid on," she said. "As air pressure builds up the lid pops off and the rocket goes up."

The center has ongoing hands-on exhibits. Even toys at the center offer learning experiences. For example, children can learn engineering with building blocks or physics with a Slinky.

School groups and home-school groups can make appointments to come during the week, Oney said.

As for Eggy's fate, Oney opened the bag and discovered a mess.

"Egg soup," Makenzie said.