Spark the Imagination with Kids' Mad Science Programs

Mad Science of the Hudson Valley will spark the imagination and curiosity of children as part of the Butterfield Library's Be Creative@Your Library summer program.

The Library will be hosting three workshops with the wacky scientists. The first, "Lights...Color...Action" will be held on Wednesday, July 8, at 10:45am. Using Newton's color wheel, participants will observe and create white light providing the background for an exploration of color. The children will learn about the visible light spectrum through a chromatography demonstration. They will discover both the infrared and the ultraviolet components of the spectrum with activities where people and objects will glow in the dark. Plus, participants will have the opportunity to create a safe, indoor "fireworks" display.

The second workshop will be held on Thursday, July 16, at 10:45am, and is called "Movie Effects." Children will explore the concept of persistence of vision and how we are able to see movies. They will take the continuity challenge to see if they have what it takes to help make a movie! Participants will discover how 3-D images are made; check out some red/ blue anaglyph glasses and create their own anaglyph drawing. Finally, they will put their movie making skills to the test to create their very own animation to take home.

The final workshop, "Optical Illusions," will be held on Monday, July 20, at 10:45am. This workshop will teach participants how their eyes "see" and how they can be fooled. Children will experience a wide variety of optical illustions like the camera obscura, the mirror mirage, and various other classic illusions. Periscopes will be introduced and after an instructional demonstration on the science and design behind the periscope, the children will create their own periscope to take home.

Children must be entering 1st grade and up to attend the workshops. Registration is required for these workshops and you must register for each individually. Visit www.butterfieldlibrary.org. For information call 265- 3040 ext. 4.