January 31, 2001

College for Kids offers students super Saturdays

NMC program explores everything from goo to Judo

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Super Saturdays are back!
      Northwestern Michigan College's "College for Kids" launched its winter schedule last weekend, floating a variety of offerings to elementary age students. The mostly one-session classes include drumming, beginning and intermediate French, cross country skiing and math camp. Martial arts courses include Judo and Aikido for kids and new natural science offerings focused on Michigan mammals and critters.
      Snow Cave Building and Fun with Goo kicked off the schedule last Saturday, two courses that illustrate the broad range of courses available at the College for Kids.
      A new offering this winter, the packed "Fun with Goo" class had kids making 'plastic' by heating milk and vinegar, then letting the concoction cool. A home-made face paint and a squishy dough made from corn starch, flour, water and food coloring both wound up decorating the goo cookers. Each student went home with a sample of 'Jell-O Goo' made from glue, borax, water, red food coloring and sodium tetraborate - the result resembled a wad of pink chewing gum.
      Numerous science lessons were neatly tucked into all the slimy fun, noted instructor Beth Leinbach.
      "There were first-graders running around talking about sodium tetraborate," she said. "Kids get into goo, they love being messy and being tactile and touching things."
      Snow Cave Building was another new class and began with an introduction to three types of snow shelters: snow cave, igloo and Quinzee. Instructor Michael Jarvis sketched construction basics, safety, types of snow and weather protection, noting that snow is a good insulator that can keep people warm if necessary.
      Wind cannot blow through 10-inch snow walls and the body heat of people inside can make the snow cave survivable. Jarvis told students he had actually slept in snow cave when the outside temperature was 20 degrees below zero and the three people inside kept the temperature at 35 degrees.
      "You might not think 30 degrees is very warm, but if it's 20 below zero outside that means it's 50 degrees warmer inside your snow cave," he said. "If you ever have to sleep outside in an emergency this 50 degrees can make the difference between whether you'll live or freeze to death."
      The kids tromped outdoors to put words into action using the huge piles of snow lining the University Center parking lot. They created a Quinzee, which is typically formed by piling up snow and stomping it down to strengthen it and prevent collapse when making the rooms and tunnels inside. Jarvis told students to make the entrance as small as possible to minimize the wind and to block the door with a snowball or backpack for an overnight stay.
      With their kick-off weekend, both Snow Caves and Fun with Goo created an integrated learning environment where instructors could spark a student's interest in science, chemistry, weather or music without lectures, drills or tests.
      This philosophy and approach forms the backbone of the Winter College for Kids. It greatly expands on the former Super Saturday program, which was known for years for its arts offerings. The broad range of courses now available reflects the program's ongoing commitment to offer courses that enrich and enhance traditional school curricula.
      "It used to be that we focused mostly on the arts but for the past couple of years we have been expanding," said Carol Evans, director of NMC's Extended Educational Services. "We now offer languages, science, math and music; anything to get you through a northern Michigan winter but not in a traditional classroom setting."
      This weekend, the Winter College for Kids includes classes on Michigan Critters (currently full), clay, drumming, French and math camp. For more information on the Winter College for Kids, contact Extended Educational Services at 995-1700.