Students think outside the box at PTA Math & Science Night

PINE PLAINS — The gymnasium of Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center was pulsing with excitement during the PTA Math & Science Night on Tuesday, April 18.

Students in prekindergarten through fifth grade and their families were keen to engage in the different stations throughout the gym. Students were given a pencil and a miniature notebook that they could use as a passport for all the stations they visited that night. After collecting their notebooks, they were free to explore the unique math and science activities. At the end of their visit, students were invited to return to the table near the gym entrance to receive their choice of a beach ball or a stamp as a prize for their participation.

Along with a unique title and lesson, each station held a folder that explained what it was about, the experiment being tested and the reasons why it worked.

The colorful station, “Liquid Layers,” demonstrated how liquids separate and form layers with their specific densities using individual test tubes that held water, honey, dish soap, vegetable oil, lamp oil and maple syrup. 

Another density lesson was on display at the station, “What Makes Liquid Bubbles?” It compared the densities of water and oil after adding carbon dioxide. 

A few of the younger students reacted with disbelief after learning about different animal species and their droppings at the station, “Do You Know Poo?”

The event’s stations vary each year. Ideas are inspired by students from the Math Honor Society at Stissing Mountain High School, who also volunteer the night of the event. In late March, each honor student was asked to propose an experiment. After brainstorming, students’ peers decided on the best ideas, said Math Honor Society advisor Jennifer Griffin.

In addition to the return of a student station from last year, the Math Honor Society decided on three brand new stations, including “The Candy Shop,” “Magnet Painting” and “The Nickel and the Balloon.” Ranging from grades 10 through 12,  a dozen student volunteers helped with the stations.

“We’ve been attending for the last two years and the students thought they should be submitting their own ideas to the event,” said Griffin. “It’s really student-driven.”

Beginning near 2012, the PTA Math & Science Night has been a popular program with Pine Plains students, said Vice President Meg VanLeuven of the Pine Plains Elementary PTA.

“With every fundraiser that we do, we have to give back to the students to show that we appreciate their support, and this is one of the activities that caught on,” VanLeuven explained.

She added the program presents students with an opportunity to think outside of the box. Naming the station, giving the example, “Are You Eating Nails for Breakfast?” She said that her children came away from that station thinking about the amount of iron their favorite breakfast cereals contain.

“This event gives them a different view of looking at things and lets them know that it’s not always black and white with science,” VanLeuven said. “It also helps them to understand that somebody had to invent that idea and to experiment with it to see how it worked.”

The current school year marks the first year the Cold Spring Early Learning Center and Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center PTAs merged. By combining the efforts of both school districts into one group, the Pine Plains Elementary PTA is now capable of serving more students as a whole.