Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA)
May 7, 2011
Author: Jessica A. York / Times-Herald
An inflated grocery store plastic bag, attached to a clear plastic dish, whooshed straight up in the air, racing another nearly to the ceiling.
Below it were the upturned faces of two awe-struck young boys, seeing which of their homemade flying machines would go furthest.
The two were among the dozen or more young people who turned out Friday, the second day since the opening of the Lawrence Hall of Science's free "Inventors Lab." The program took up residence at the Norman C. King South Vallejo Community Center on Magazine Street this week.
Some 50 children and adults turned out Thursday, the center's first day, organizers estimate.
At another work station, Chanpel Brown, 9, found out that her recently built, shiny metal bridge looked nice, but crumbled under a bit of applied pressure. That did not stop Chanpel, however, from diving back in to devise a stronger, tighter way of constructing it.
"I expected less than this, (but) this is fun," said Chanpel, a Grace Patterson Elementary School student. "I like how easy it is to make connections, and put the pieces together."
Easily the center's biggest "child magnet," was "Fly Away," the site of competing homemade flying machines made airborne by air rushing through a clear air chute.
"Everything is based on exploration, hands-on, 'figure it out,' said Veronica Urdaneta, Lawrence Hall's external affairs coordinator.
Prior to the Inventors Lab, the community center was all but closed due to the Greater Vallejo Recreation District's reduced program funding, said Phillip McCoy, GVRD recreation superintendent.
Now, in addition to separate multi-purpose rooms available for rent, the main part of the center is expected to once again teem with activity. GVRD, the Lawrence Hall of Science and the city of Vallejo entered into a year-and-a half lease agreement that is expected to produce "exactly the best of all worlds" for each, McCoy said.
"This is keeping young kids off the streets, and it's educational," McCoy said, adding that the programming is suited for elementary and middle school students alike.
Patterson Elementary School Principal Paula Suarez-Hevia looked around the center, as six of her after-school program students took their first tour.
"We look forward to taking full advantage. We kind of got lucky," Suarez-Hevia said of having the center within walking distance. "Being able to ask questions, have hands-on activity, is so critical. And (the Inventors Lab coordinators) have the materials; (Schools) don't always have all the materials."
The Inventors Lab is a multi-year grant-funded experiment by the Hall of Science, part of the University of California, Berkeley campus. It is designed to bring a taste of the Hall's interactive science programming to under-served areas. Vallejo is the first of two sites planned initially.
The center will require new outside funding to continue after its first two years. Program organizers said they intend to begin actively fundraising immediately.
In the meantime, the center will open in phases. A "challenge room" is undergoing remodeling work, but should open next week. In late June, added days will be added to offer a summer lunch program. And some time in September, a large festival and formal-ribbon cutting ceremony is planned, Urdaneta said.
The Inventors Lab, on Magazine Street at Sonoma Boulevard, is open Thursdays through Sundays, from 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The community center's phone number is (707) 648-4620.
Contact staff writer Jessica A. York at (707) 553-6834 or jyork@timesheraldonline.com.
(c) 2011 Times-Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
Record Number: 18015367
Emma Duran-Forbes
Special Events Coordinator
Facebook
Twitter
youtube
Flickr