Event 1: Discovery Cube Orange County

For my first event, I went to Discovery Cube Orange County with a few classmates. The Discovery Cube Museum has many interactive exhibits that expose children and their families to science, art, and technology.  

   

My classmates and I posed for a picture with two Discovery Cube employees. 

I attended Bubblefest, an event which the museum hosts every year. During the show, bubble artist/scientist Deni Yeng entertained the crowd with a fun bubble and laser show. He used many tricks including blowing smoke bubbles, spinning the bubbles, and blowing mini bubbles within a giant bubble. The show was visually appealing yet scientific as he explained ways that science is incorporated into bubble-making.

Dani Yeng blows a smoke bubble into another bubble.
 Image courtesy of: http://www.sandytoesandpopsicles.com/orange-county/bubblefest-discovery-science-center/

Me at the Bubblefest

Yeng combined art and technology during the laser portion of the show. Thousands of bubbles were released as he danced to the music and moved with the lasers. I enjoyed seeing how a seemingly simple act of blowing bubbles could be made into a spectacular artistic show and combined with science. The performance allows attendees to experience bubbles in a different way than they are used to.  I would definitely recommend it to all ages! 

Image by Caryn Bailey
http://rockinmama.net/bubblefest-2013-at-the-discovery-science-center/

Image by Caryn Bailey
http://rockinmama.net/bubblefest-2013-at-the-discovery-science-center/

Most of the kids that I saw at the Discovery Center looked like they were having a lot of fun and I immediately thought of Ken Robinson's Divergent Thinking video. I think it would be beneficial to today's youth if more schools could incorporate hands-on teaching of science in the classrooms or even more field trips to museums. There is a big difference between reading about a concept in a book and getting to learn about it in an interactive way. With a different way of teaching, students may appreciate the arts and sciences more and might feel more inspired to creatively incorporate the two. 

Bailey, Caryn. "Bubblefest at the Discovery Science Center Merges Entertainment With Hands-On Learning - Rockin Mama™." Rockin Mama RSS2. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://rockinmama.net/bubblefest-2013-at-the-discovery-science-center/>.

"Bubblefest - Discovery Cube OC." Discovery Cube OC RSS2. Discovery Science Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.discoverycube.org/oc/exhibits/bubblefest/>.

Garcia, Eugene. "Science Learning Bubbles up in Santa Ana." The Orange County Register. N.p., 29 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bubbles-501865-science-year.html>.

Robinson, Ken. "RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube. The RSA, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U>.