Plenty of Highlights for Kids at the University Experience in Kaiserslautern

In the experiments involving aluminum and steel, the children filled glass bottles with lavender and glixia flowers and ultrasonically welded them to a metal lid.

The 30 elementary school children who participated in the RPTU’s “University Experience for Kids” program in Kaiserslautern over Pentecost enjoyed a colorful mix of activities. In beautiful sunshine, they were able to visit the campus, the forest playground, and the RPTU construction trailer, spending plenty of time outdoors. But experiments and sports activities also encouraged the children to discover new things with great enthusiasm and burn off some energy.

The program was varied:

  • Making lip balm and beeswax wraps
  • Experiments on “Aluminum and Steel—the Most Important Metallic Materials”
  • Field trip: Rocktown bouldering gym
  • Art contest: Redesigning the RPTU construction trailer

Under the guidance of student teacher Michelle Becker, the kids were able to make lip balm and beeswax wraps. Another experiment, offered by the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, focused on aluminum and steel—the most important metallic materials. Speaker Dr.-Ing. Moritz Liesegang: “The children were very interested when they were able to compare the density or weight, thermal conductivity, and strength of steel and aluminum. In the ice cube experiment, an ice cube was placed on a steel cube, an aluminum cube, and—as an extreme example—a piece of wood, and the children placed bets on which material’s cube would melt first. With aluminum, this happened a bit faster than with steel. With the wood, the ice cube was still largely intact when the group returned from the lab about an hour later. While some of the participants were able to examine various composite materials under a microscope, the other children filled glass vials with lavender and Glixia flowers and sealed them shut with a metal lid using ultrasound.”

The athletic highlight of the program was a visit to the Rocktown bouldering gym. With courage and perseverance, the children were able to climb almost to the ceiling, practicing their coordination as they made their way up. They demonstrated their artistic skills with imaginative designs for redecorating the RPTU construction trailer, which has its permanent spot behind Building 56. The children rounded out the diverse activities with a delicious pizza snack.

The next university experience in Kaiserslautern is scheduled for the summer break. Spots are already fully booked—the team at the Office for Equality, Diversity, and Family is maintaining a waiting list for additional registrations.

In the experiments involving aluminum and steel, the children filled glass bottles with lavender and glixia flowers and ultrasonically welded them to a metal lid.