Aspiring mad scientists can experiment at library on Thursday

MADISON – Calling all mad scientists. Your club will meet this week at Madison Public Library.

Maggie Allen will lead the Mad Scientists Club at Madison Public Library on Thursday.

The Mad Scientists Club will convene on Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. The group is open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

This month’s hands-on experiments will include some holiday magic, youth services librarian Maggie Allen said.

Organized earlier this year, the club “has really grown into a wonderful program. The kids get to work in groups and also individually with the goal being to enjoy exploring and questioning,” Allen said.

Children with varying aptitudes have joined the Mad Scientists Club. “It’s not a traditional science class with beakers and protective eye equipment,” Allen said. “Instead, we make ooblek (part liquid, part solid substance), fake blood and whatever else we can make and discuss.”

Typically, the older children serve as ‘assistants’ in experiments, while the younger members observe and play.

“In November, we made oobleck with cornstarch and water, discussed the different states of matter and hypothesized on what oobleck is,” Allen said. “Then, the kids were able to make oobleck and experiment on it. It was amazing to watch.”

For December, the Mad Scientists Club will take a holiday twist. “It’s a little more of a ‘magic trick’. We’ll create a 10-foot tall tree out of newspaper,” she said.

This club is free to members. “The kids and the parents really enjoy the hands-on quality of the group. The kids make and mix whatever needs to be made, and they get their hands dirty in the process,” Allen said.

Allen praised members of the Mad Scientists Club for their enthusiasm in exploring science, “making a mess and cleaning it up after.”

The Mad Scientists Club meets on the second Thursday of each month at 4 p.m. For more information, call Allen at 256-461-0046, email to mallen@hmcpl.org or visit hmcpl.org.