There’s a lot that’s happening behind the scenes as we get ready for the opening of Science in the Parks’ 2017 tour. On Monday we get to set out into the community, starting with Lester Park and continuing per our summer schedule (posted here). Basically, we just follow Arts in the Parks around Ogden, so you could plan a solid two weeks in one park and always have new things to experience.

Each year we learn a few new things. Recently, the team has been trying to perfect a new parachute mechanism for our water rockets, so we can watch well engineered, gentle landings after each dramatic launch. They’ve been trying out new ways of making musical instruments and other sound devices. They’ve got some new filters that kids can hold up and see how light of different colors will mix. And, a recent resupply mission had us loading 500 pounds of sand, gravel, and (of course) corn starch — all things that kids can get their hands in to see how materials pack, erode, and flow.

But maybe my favorite innovation was just realized today: we have decals on our 11-year-old trailer, so you can recognize us when we arrive or even when we’re crossing town. You may even be able to spot the decals on our rear gate and just follow us to the park.

As our season rolls along, we’ll create more frequent posts and updates, including some announcements, activities in the parks, and hopefully some “how-to” posts to describe some of what we’re doing. Stay tuned!

See you soon, making more science in a park near you!