Science Festival Aims to Satisfy Questions
Children are naturally curious about the world around them, as evidenced by questions such as, “Where do rainbows come from?” “Why are lemons sour?” and the ever-popular, “Why is the sky blue?”
Answers to these and other questions can be found at the “Science Festival for Kids” beginning Saturday at the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena.
With workshops, hands-on exhibits and other activities, the three-month program will introduce children to a variety of subjects including astronomy, geology, chemistry and zoology.
The first workshop, at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, will be on earthquakes. On April 5, children can engage in a series of easy experiments in a “kitchen chemistry” workshop at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. The following Saturday, April 8, at 1 p.m., a menagerie of exotic animals, including a baboon and a sea lion, will be the highlight of a workshop at the museum. Call (818) 449-9144.
ASTRONOMY
The planned 1992 mission to study Mars will be discussed by Robert Brooks Jr. of the JPL Mars Observer team at the Santa Monica College Planetarium show at 8 p.m. Friday following the 7 p.m. Night Sky Show. Call (213) 452-9223.
“Chemistry and the Birth of Stars and Planets” will be the subject of the final lecture in the Caltech 1988-89 Lecture Series for Secondary School Students at 3:45 p.m. on April 5 in the Baxter Hall of Humanities Lecture Hall on the Caltech campus. Call (818) 356-6207.
The Moorpark College Astronomy Program will explore the constellations of the spring night skies at 8:30 p.m. on April 7 at the Charles Temple Observatory on campus. Call (805) 378-1408.
HEALTH
Indoor air pollution will be the topic of the sixth annual Lungs and the Environment Conference of the American Lung Assn. of Los Angeles County from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the University Hilton in Los Angeles. For information or to register call (213) 935-5864 or (818) 797-5864, Ext. 237.
NATURAL SCIENCE
Naturalists from the Palm Springs Desert Museum will lead visitors on a trip to a remote canyon inhabited by wild horses at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Participants should meet at the museum’s north parking lot. This is a strenuous hike requiring good physical condition. Call (619) 325-7186.
Visitors can explore the south shore of Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands National Park in a rare trip offered by the park concessionaire on April 8. On the island, National Park Service rangers will lead hikes to explore the flora, fauna and geologic history of the area. For trip reservations call Island Packers at (805) 642-7688. For park information call (805) 644-8262.
SCIENCE EDUCATION
The latest developments in a variety of fields will be examined by leading scientists in a UCLA Extension lecture series on the “Frontiers of Science.” The series of five Thursday night classes begins April 6 with a class on brain research. Upcoming classes will study the ozone holes and the greenhouse effect, earthquakes and endangered species. Lectures will be at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills from 7-9:30 p.m. Call (213) 825-7093.