Kids Chemistry Night is a fun-filled event for kids ages 5 - 10 and a standing tradition at SUNY Orange first organized by Dr. Timothy MacMahon and Prof. Cynthia MacMahon. Kids Chemistry Night took a break during the COVID pandemic and this is our first year back since the pandemic. Our goal with Kids Chemistry Night is to help spread interest in STEM related fields to a younger generation while simultaneously allowing SUNY Orange students to connect and work alongside the local community. The theme for Kids Chemistry Night 2023 was Health and Medicine. We had over 145 families (over 200 children in total) interested in the event but could only accommodate a maximum of 70 children due to space and safety. Families were first welcomed to SUNY Orange by enjoying hot dogs, fruits, snacks, desserts, popcorn, candy, and refreshments sponsored by the SUNY Orange Chemistry Club. Demonstrations by Dr. Dustin McCall and Prof. Jacqueline Bair followed. Demonstrations included colorful flames, exploding balloons and pumpkins, rockets, breathing fire, screaming gummy bears, and elephant toothpaste which were all sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Families then rotated between different lab rooms where kids participated in three different activities. The activities were led by student volunteers from both the SUNY Orange Chemistry Club and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP). The activities were sponsored by CSTEP. Student volunteers worked side-by-side with kids to help them with their activities. In one room, student volunteers taught kids about DNA and how it relates to everyone's unique characteristics. Kids then had the opportunity to extract real DNA out of fresh strawberries. In the second room, student volunteers taught kids about how oil and water do not mix and how too much fat intake can be bad for your health. Kids then made colorful lava lamps that really bubbled and were able to take them home with them. The lava lamps showed how oil and water do not mix. In the third room, student volunteers taught kids about polymers inside the body such as proteins. Kids then were able to make their own polymers in which they could take home: colorful and gooey slime. Kids were given a gift bag full of goodies as a show of appreciation for attending Kids Chemistry Night. Kids Chemistry Night was a success with our largest turnout ever! 65 children, 58 parents, 24 student volunteers, 5 faculty volunteers, and three staff volunteers attended Kids Chemistry Night. Our SUNY Orange students were amazing and worked so well with the kids and their families. The kids were also amazing as they came with an incredible energy that lit up the room and an insatiable appetite for learning! We want to thank all of the student volunteers from the SUNY Orange Chemistry Club and CSTEP, Prof. Jacqueline Bair, Prof. Anthony Soricelli, Prof. Lisa Zylberberg, Dr. Jennifer Merriam, Megan Engels, Donna Sanders, and Alyssa Walrad for all of their help preparing, hosting, and cleaning up. We also want to thank the SUNY Orange Chemistry Club, CSTEP, and the American Chemical Society for their generous donations or this event would not have been able to happen. Most of all, we want to thank all the kids and their families that attended Kids Chemistry Night because they are the ones that make events like this all worth it in the end. We are looking forward to Kids Chemistry Night 2024 and already have 32 families interested for next year. The theme for next year is photography and imaging.
