COSTA MESA : Mall Offers Children Science Workshops

Children interested in science can learn how to make kaleidoscopes, watch a video of Mars and discover how dolphins hear--all at the Launch Pad in Crystal Court, which will be holding three workshops a day for three days next week.

Youngsters ages 5 to 14 can also play a variety of science games or they can make dolphins out of clay, but that’s only on Dolphin Day, which is Tuesday. Space Science Day is Dec. 28 and Eye Spy day is Dec. 29.

Children can also discuss what kinds of adaptations certain animals would have to make to survive on Mars. They will also discover how the eye functions by witnessing the dissection of a cow’s eye, said Pam Shambra, a spokeswoman for Launch Pad. The group is a nonprofit organization set up to give residents a peek at what the Science Discovery Center will look like when it opens in Costa Mesa in 1997.

But the purpose of these workshops, Shambra said, is to educate children about math and science and to excite them by participating in and performing hands-on tasks.

For more information or reservations, call (714) 546-2061.