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Families enjoy chemistry of 'Dia del Niņo'
April 30, 2006Little Rocio Escobar wore oversized safety goggles around her curly dark hair.
Her eyes were intent on mixing the concoction of polyvinyl, borax and alcohol in front of her. The result of her mix -- red, gooey slime.
Rocio and her mother, Alsa Molina, blew through the chemistry experiments table at the fourth annual Dia del Niņo ("Day of the Child") carnival held Saturday afternoon at the Community and Family Resource Center, 330 Fountain St. in Lafayette.
"I've made three of them," said Rocio with the confidence of a future chemist, proudly holding her fresh slime in a baggy.
The experiments were presented by the Purdue University graduate student chapter of the National Organization of Black Engineers and Chemists. The table was one of a dozen or so that thrilled and captivated hundreds of children from babies to elementary school students.
More than 100 parents brought about 400 kids with them for a total of about 500 participants in Dia del Niņo. The total broke 2005's record of 400 participants.
Molina recalled Dia del Niņo celebrations in her native El Salvador.
"It was a day of making food, and the children would get a toy or something," Molina said. "We'd also sing songs."
Rocio also tried her hand at making a bubble solution and the experiment of "Blowing a Balloon without Blowing." Rocio put a mix of baking soda and vinegar into a balloon and then put the balloon over a half-empty bottle of water. After some good bottle shaking, the chemical reaction caused the balloon to blow up.
"We walked the kids through experiments on gas, liquid and solids," said George Pates, a chemistry graduate student and president of the student group. "They love the slime. The slime was the most popular, hands down."
Cathlyn Fraguela, a Dia del Niņo volunteer and case worker for the CFRC's Hispanic Outreach Program, said the Latino holiday was brought to the CFRC to help bring the community together.
"In Hispanic countries, the whole community gets together to celebrate this holiday," she said. "We wanted to make it a community event here."
Fraguela said the event has gotten bigger each year, and it caps off Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The carnival celebration consisted of food donated by several local restaurants, and raffle items donated by local stores, shops and organizations.
Lafayette's Heidi Ventura brought four of her children to Dia del Niņo. Claudia, Haley, Caleb and Tatiana got to have fun and learn a bit more of their father's Hispanic heritage.
"I think it's a great holiday," Heidi Ventura said. "We have Mother's Day and Father's Day. Why not have a kids' day?"