Amidst “oohs” and “ahhs” and squeals of delight, over 200 students gathered for a special science show sponsored by the local PTSA at Grand Ridge Elementary School on Saturday.

The event, planned to drum up excitement for the school’s annual Science Fair on March 10, featured Pacific Science Center educator Sam Chamberlain and a demonstration of the principles of natural science. The science experiments, part of the Center’s Science on Wheels program, included conjuring flames, turning a Ziploc bag into an exploding yellow balloon and a creating a foam fountain in a cup.

Students were invited to register their science projects before the fun began in the school auditorium, with registration running through Feb. 12.

“I do what I do to inspire kids to become interested in science and pursue science careers,” Chamberlain said. “If we can get them excited at this young age, it prepares them for the future.”

The Pacific Science Center Science on Wheels program was started during the Energy Crisis in the 70s and attempts to bring the best of the science center to the schools when they began cutting back field trips to save money spent on gas for school buses.

“We thought we’d do a big ‘wow’ for the kids,” said Theora Dalupan, Grand Ridge PTSA committee chair for the Science Fair.

“Our school has over 900 students so we’re hoping to get a good showing for this.”

Students were invited to register their science projects before the fun began in the school auditorium, with registration running through Feb. 12.

One of the students, 8-year-old Elliot Ghidali, was still beaming with excitement after the show was over. He planned to make an entry into the science fair with an experiment on growing water crystals.

“They were cool!” he said.

“He loves natural science,” said his mother, Miriam.

For more information, email Theora Dalupan, Science Fair chair, at grPTSAvpevents@gmail.com.