The Learning by Leading (LxL) Youth Education team made its first appearance on September 29th, 2024 at the Sciencenter! As the newest LxL team, we were excited, nervous, and mostly honored to present educational and fun activities to a wide range of youth. The Sciencenter hosts a series titled ‘Science Connections’ almost every Sunday for an hour, inviting Sciencenter guests to learn from experts from Cornell and beyond. 

To celebrate the changing seasons from Summer to Autumn, our drop-in session was designed to reflect elements from the cyclical nature of plant life cycles. Youth were encouraged to hop around from activity to activity, guiding their own adventure. 

Here is a rundown of the activities presented: 

Underground Plant Parts: 

Not all underground plant structures are roots, some are modified stems and others are modified leaves! Led by Lucy, Audrey, and Abby, youth were invited to identify and classify some underground plant parts they might be familiar with and create their own stamped designs to take home.

Coloring with Plant Parts:

Plants exhibit a vibrant array of pigments, lending them to be natural crayons! Shania, Madison, and Emily guided youths to de-stress and color using amaranth, cabbage, and other plant parts collected from the Cornell Botanic Gardens. 

Left to right: Shania, Madison, and Emily leading the Coloring with Plant Parts station.

Seed Dispersal:

Youth learned about the (basic) physics of seed designs to ease dispersal for different plants with Thomas and Michael! By showcasing examples such as how burdock burrs are nature’s Velcro and allowing youth to design their own maple helicopters to showcase samara designs, youth had fun learning about an important part of a plant’s life cycle. 

Left to right: Thomas and Michael leading the Seed Dispersal station

The weather severely impacts the attendance at drop-in events such as this one. Though it was a rainy and gloomy day, our LxL Youth Education team members were able to diligently cater to each attendee and share knowledge with each young scientist. I’m super proud of our team and all of the preparation that went into making our first event a success. Apart from spending time with my team members, my favorite part of this afternoon was being able to explore the new exhibits at the Sciencenter and visit some beloved permanent ones!

Anna Chen, E&S ‘25

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to the Sciencenter for having us. 

Thank you to all LxL Youth Education team members for volunteering their time.

Thank you to Lauren Salzman, our LxL Youth Education mentor for guiding us through the whole event preparation process. 

Thank you to the Cornell Botanic Garden gardeners for helping us collect materials.

Thank you to all the young scientists and their caregivers who stopped by our Science Connections event.