The Bootheel Youth Museum visits Keller Public Library

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

DEXTER STATESMAN/Josh Ayers

The Bootheel Youth Museum presented a lesson on gravity Wednesday at the Keller Public Library during the summer reading program. Jacob Heck and Joni Baum donned space suits and showed the kids in attendance experiments showing the effects of gravity on Earth and in space. Kids were also invited to participate in some of the experiments.

Jacob Heck holds a pitcher filled with a string of beads as Haddie Dorton prepares to pull the end of the string. The beads then cascaded do the floor to demonstrate the effects of gravity.
Dorton looks at the crowd in attendance as Heck explains the experiment.
Nathan Markland prepares to strike a tray removing it and six toilet paper tubes away, dropping six eggs into six glasses.
Heck prepares to perform the same experiment.
The kids were allowed to line up and try removing the tray and tube and dropping an egg into a glass.
Heck uses a jar with a toy in it to demonstrate the vacuum of space. The air was removed from the jar causing the toy to expand.
Heck spins a tray with a glass of water on it to demonstrate centrifugal force.
Barrett Mills prepares to spin the tray and perform the same experiment.
A heavy ball was placed in the center of this cloth stand. Smaller balls were rolled around the perimeter to simulate the effect of gravity on an orbit in space. The smaller ball would roll in a circle around the heavier ball until it finally came to rest against it.
Joni Baum with the Bootheel Youth Museum helped the kids try their hand at the orbit experiment.