The Maryland Science Center: Backyard Science Days & Summer of Irresponsible Science
About Backyard Science Days:
Take an expedition to the Inner Harbor and get up close with amazing creatures from Maryland and beyond, including bats of all sizes, at the Maryland Science Center’s annual Backyard Science Days, Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14, from Noon until 4 p.m.
Bats won’t be the only critters at Backyard Science Days. Guests will also get up close with lovable locals like rabbits, a black rat snake, box turtles and ducks, and curious creatures from far away like boa constrictors, pythons, bearded dragon lizards, and chinchillas.
Visitors can compete in a “Produce Prix,” creating vehicles from supermarket staples like cucumbers, bananas and potatoes, and pitting them against each other in Veggie Racing!
Brave souls willing to deviate from their daily diets can enjoy creepy culinary creations as the Maryland Science Center’s Chef Derrick whips up meal worm cookies and cricket stir fry each day at 2 p.m.
Visitors can also create their own butterfly feeders, beetle habitats, and solar art.
While we're bum that we can't make it to the bat event this weekend (too much going on), there is still time to catch the Summer of Irresponsible Science. Don't be alarmed by the wording. The Maryland Science Center "is supremely sure of the safety of the Summer of Irresponsible Science’s shenanigans. Translation: every experiment is completely safe, despite the rabid rhetoric contained herein."
About the Summer of Irresponsible Science:
Chemical reactions will not be tamed, as exploding dry ice makes ping pong balls rain and methane gas makes bubbles flame. What visitors think they know about matter won’t matter as acids, bases, and polymers turn their worlds upside down. Brave attendees will see the power of the sun harnessed into scorching beams that melt everything from action figures to spare change. Giddy guests will act as spotters for the dropping detritus spewing from the giant, water balloon-launching slingshot and toilet paper cannon. Not even the ticket line will be safe as stealthy Science Ninjas will astonish queuing crowds with confounding chemistry, freaky physics, and baffling biology. Pops, bangs, and clangs will reverberate through the exhibit halls, and when the dust settles, another scientific stunt will be mere moments away.
The Summer of Irresponsible Science will feature experiments big and small, and all off the wall, from the super soapy sphere of Elephant Toothpaste to “pocket science” demos: miniature machinations that visitors can fit in the palm of their hands. Pumped participants will learn experiments they can try at home and witness some they wouldn’t want within a mile of their house. And if all that sounds crazy, wait until renegade researchers start tossing objects off the roof!
This sounds like my kind of party. We can't wait to attend. I'm sure I'll be screaming the loudest, and the children will most likely stare at me. I can handle it. After all, I can throw my adult responsibilities out the door that day...I think. I could have this whole "irresponsible" thing backwards.
Will I see you there?
About the Maryland Science Center:
Named one of Parents Magazine’s Top 10 Science Centers in America, the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore makes science understandable and fun for more than 500,000 visitors a year. The Maryland Science Center inspires, fascinates, motivates, and engages children and adults with dozens of interactive exhibits, traveling exhibitions, original presentations in the world-famous Davis Planetarium, larger-than-life movies in the five-story St. John Properties IMAX Theater, and hundreds of hands-on programs delivered throughout the state each year. The Maryland Science Center is located at 601 Light Street at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. For information and tickets, visit www.marylandsciencecenter.org or call the 24-Hour Information Like at 410-685-5225, TDD: 410-962-0223.
Disclosure: I was provided complimentary tickets to attend the Maryland Science Center. I used to love attending as a child, and am excited to share this experience with my son. As always, the opinions and views are my own.
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