By Jessica Hoover
The Link Observatory Space Science Institute will conduct its inaugural CosmicKids! event from 10:30 a.m. to noon Oct. 19 at the Westfield Washington Public Library, 333 W. Hoover St.
CosmicKids! is a series of events for children in first through third grade. It focuses on hands-on space science activities and lectures.
“We are in connection with NASA and they have a ton of wonderful animation that they give us, like coloring books and activities,” said Kim Fox, program director for CosmicKids! “I think we’ll even be able to bring NASA scientists into the program to do skits or videos or hands-on activities to get the kids up close and personal with a real-life scientist.”
Fox said she came up with the idea for the event when she was unable to find STEM opportunities for her daughter.
“I have an 8-year-old right now, and when she first started school in kindergarten, I looked for so many STEM opportunities or things that we could do,” Fox said. “We love making volcanoes explode and balloon rockets at home. I wanted her to get together with other kids her age to do the same thing, but I found nothing. There was stuff for older kids, so I thought we could start doing something for little kids, so we’re giving kids another opportunity to learn exciting facts about science outside of school.”
Admission to CosmicKids! is $10 per event. Parents can attend for free. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com/e/cosmickids-tickets-68781145257.
“It means so much to us to be able to inspire today’s youth,” Fox said. “The sooner you start, the sooner they start, so that’s why we’re doing this CosmicKids! event. We want to get them started as early as they can even fathom what we’re talking about. It’s absolutely crucial for our future to get kids interested in science.”
