Visitors gathered just four blocks from the National Mall for a day of fun learning about architecture, construction, and engineering on September 17, 2011. With a Great Hall that contains 75-foot-tall Corinthian columns and a 1,200-foot terra cotta frieze, the National Building Museum provided a magnificent backdrop for the museum's annual event, "The Big Build" (formerly The Festival of Building Arts). At this hands-on family festival of tools, trucks, and building arts, participants hammered nails, constructed stick houses, designed stone carvings, and so much more.

The Children's Science Center was thrilled to participate and to teach visitors about where and how engineers build safe infrastructure to withstand seismic activity. It's natural to be curious about what's happening underneath your feet when the ground shakes, particularly in light of our recent 5.8 magnitude earthquake that shook our region.  Our Museum Without Walls activities helped attendees to understand the basic forces at work during an earthquake. Using Slinkies, volunteers demonstrated the different types of energy waves that occur.  The ground moves up and down, side to side, AND back and forth!  Next, visitors tested the structural integrity of model houses on soil samples of bedrock, gravel, and sand. This activity brought lots of smiles while visitors explored, discovered, and learned!

Educating children and families about the wonders of our natural world and encouraging them to investigate and learn on their own is just part of what The Children's Science Center aims to do. We were thrilled to serve over 1,050 visitors at "The Big Build" Event and are grateful for our hard-working volunteers, including those from the National Institutes of Health, George Mason University, and members of the Junior League of Northern Virginia!

Challenge:  Can You Make A Glowing Skeleton or Skull?

Create this Eerie Special Effect in Time for Halloween  

 

What You Need:

• Liquid laundry detergent or powdered detergent mixed with a little water
• A sponge or paper towel
• Halloween stencil (like a skull) or some freehand artistic talent
• Black light

What You Do:

• Select the location for your decoration. This project works well on a sidewalk or a wall.  Suggestions include a walkway near porch lights. You can switch out the normal lightbulb for a black light. With a black light and an extension cord you can put the decoration anywhere.
• Dampen a sponge or paper towel with liquid laundry detergent. You want it wet enough to deposit the color, but not dripping wet.
• Place the stencil where you want the decoration.
• Blot over the stencil with the detergent-coated sponge to fill in the shapes of the skull. If you mess up badly, just wash it off and try again.
• Turn on the black light when you want to see the decoration. Turn the light off when you don't want to see it. Wash away the picture when Halloween is over.

Why this Works: