The Bounty Experience at COSI

I was happy to have the experience of taking my triplets and heading to COSI (Center of Science and Industry) in Columbus, Ohio for this event put on by Procter and Gamble.
This was the first of its kind and they were "testing the waters" (pun intended) to see how it would go. This was a free event open to anyone and the kids got fun Bounty backpacks and a little rubbery stretchy toy, along with a lot of educational hands on experiences. Bounty sponsored a group of 3rd graders from a near by school to come to the event, they also got the same bright green t-shirts that all the P&G employees wore. (very cute).

This was set up as a fun learning experience for the kids. My triplets are going into 3rd grade also and it was a perfect age, although would have been appropriate for a older or younger.
They started us off with some discussion about paper and its properties and strength with volunteers for demonstrations.
(That is one of mine on the left)

Then after the initial presentation they had stations set up for the kids to go to.

There were maybe 8-9 of them. They were all interactive for the kids. At this station they got to roll play- dough to see how it was bumpy but it could be smoothed out. (as it is done in the paper towel making process) They got to touch soft, squishy...they got to try and clean a container with two different kinds of paper (cardboard and paper towels) to see which was flexible and easier to clean with.

Here they were showing the kids how much water Bounty paper towels could absorb compared to other paper towels. But it wasn't just "Ours is better than theirs"...they were explaining the science behind everything to them. They were teaching them why and how. (See FAQ)

I had to ask my step daughter what this station was about. (I was talking to some ladies from P&G). She just told me they were telling them about plants and the gases that come from them.

I was busy talking to Laura and Elicia (who were very nice and helpful by the way...aren't they so cute? No...they didn't tell me to say that. LOL!) from P&G when the kids were at the "balloon" station. They were explaining to me how concerned and proactive P&G (Bounty) is in the environment and how they plant a tree for every tree they take down. They use the smaller perforations so that you can use a smaller amount of paper towel for a smaller job. (less waste)

The kids got to see how they could actually make paper themselves. They showed them what pulp was and how it is used to make paper.

They actually went through the whole process of making a piece of paper.

Then they got to see a finished product (this one had been made the night before)

This station was one of the most fun for the kids. It was showing the strength of the paper towels when they got wet. The put a Bounty paper towel over a bowl and held in place, and then did the same with another brand paper towel. They added about 7 pool balls onto the paper towels and then added water. You can see my Zach was expecting the worse...and he was right..the paper towel broke when the water was added. But they just dropped into the bowl...nothing went flying like he expected!

He then added the water to the Bounty paper towel loaded with the same number of balls and it held. He had the kids add the balls from the broken paper towel to the Bounty paper towel and showed how many more it could hold before it finally broke. Actually a very enlightening example to me!

There were a couple of other stations there as well. We had a really nice outing and hopefully Bounty can take this "show" on the road to some other cities. It is good fun education for the kids and also educational for the adults too!

Thank you P&G and COSI for bringing the Bounty Experience to Columbus!