Mountain Avenue Mixes Science With Creativity (Photos)

If you're a kid at , then chances are you have a parent who might work at nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Dreamworks or Disney. That said, creativity and a passion for science could be in your blood. 

Now in its third year, the Mountain Avenue Elementary Science Fair is carrying on a tradition that was last enacted in the 1960s, said Dr. Jackie Bodnar, who co-chairs the event with Dr. Saty Raghavachary. 

The two parents are both avid science enthusiasts. Bodnar earned her doctorate in Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Raghavachary earned his doctorate in Engineering. 

"The school had never had a science fair since 1966," Bodnar told Patch. 

Instead of teaching by book or worksheet, the parents thought it was time to engage the kids with hands-on learning, Bodnar said. 

"If you learn science by actually doing science then hopefully that next generation will go into science," Bodnar said."I do this because it's important for the next generation and our whole society."

More than 110 student-designed projects were entered at the fair, Bodnar said, including two volcanos and a hovercraft. Six sixth graders will also--for the first time--take their projects on to compete in the Los Angeles County Fair that is held in Pasadena from March 29-31. 

Nathan Neville, a 12-year-old sixth grader at Mountain Avenue Elementary, designed a hovercraft from amasci.com, where he was inspired by other hovercraft designs and watched Youtube videos on how to make them. 

"It floats on a small film of air," Nathan told Patch. The student sat on lawn chair while his mother Catherine Dewey plugged him in by an electrical cord, clicked a hand-held and sent him flying. Within seconds, a teacher complained of the loudness, which Nathan just smiled at.  

Parents and students created Insta-snow, Insta-gel (which is the polymer secret product behind super-absorbent baby diapers), Tornado tubes, magnets, static wands to float tinsel and studied centripetal force with a penny inside a balloon. 

The group also hosted a Family Night with glow-in-the-dark "Atomic" worms, "Atomic" slime and a classroom "Mission to Mars" with telescope images of Mars led by JPL dad Daniel Limonadi. 

Parents were an integral part of organizing the science fair, Raghavachary said. 

"It's a nice combination of people in the movie biz and science at JPL," Raghavachary told Patch. "I think the parents are really interested in the kids' education."

To learn more about Mountain Avenue Elementary's Science Fair, visit the school's science blog.