Or:
The Magic of Gallifrey
I missed the boat on having children–for many reasons–and after much deliberation on that matter I realized that when the master was ready the students would come. Meaning, of course, that when I was ready to have children in my world they would simply show up; hopefully not on my doorstep in a basket or wandering around like stray kittens. I won’t be seeing my eyes in the face of my son or hearing the echoes of my laughter in my daughter and I’m okay with that because I’ve decided that, being childless, I have so much time and knowledge and magic that I can share with so many kids.
SO–TO THE TEACHING. Kids need magic and they need play and they need that brilliant imagination stoked with all sorts of kindling for the ideas of tomorrow. After much thought, I choose to provide magic and play to kids in the form of dress up. Kids NEED to know it’s okay to practice chemistry with a tiara on. Because pretending you’re a Princess using magic to escape a dungeon is a whole lot better than waiting for someone to rescue you. Pretending opens the mind and sparks the imagination and allows kids to think “WHY? And, HOW” and it opens a tiny door toward learning. Kids that dream big dream their way to stars and space and medical discoveries. Kids that ask “Why?” develop new ways to clean the ocean’s trash, stop poachers, and test for cancer.
But where do you get to make magic with kids and teach science? At Gallifrey One, naturally. Oh, there’s no pressure to being invited to teach at the world’s first and longest running Doctor Who convention? There’s zero stress to coming up with something kids from 7-17 and their parents will love doing together and not get bored. I was honored, I was thrilled, and I was a little terrified. A world class convention better have a world class magic hour.
Geodes and engines and polymer balls and hex nut orbits + a brilliant sense of humor x sonic screwdriver magic – pressure or testing = 100 people having an amazing time. We laughed, we smashed rocks to discover agates or crystal caverns. We formed copper coil monopolar engines and figured out which shapes spun the best. We bounced rubberized polymer balls off walls and desks. We spun pennies and hex nuts in orbit and contemplated the physics of love.
AND it was so good. Parents still parented but they got to see their children in a whole new light– the potential within them lit up with great questions, “Why do some engines spin clockwise vs. counterclockwise”, “Is it inertia that makes the pennies keep spinning”, “Why are some geodes solid and other’s hollow”. Children got to see their parents having fun and they saw that adults still can learn and have fun too.
We made all the science relate to The Doctor and how he can see beyond the surface. How he sees what could be or what is or how, with some knowledge, you can build something that will get you off a burning planet. We learned to reverse the flow of the ELECTRON polarity and how to appreciate laying eyes on something millions of years old that no one has ever seen before them. We learned without pressure, without testing, and we learned that when all else fails, you wave your sonic over it and start again.
My favorite part of every class were the smiles as kiddo after kiddo showed me–toothy grins agleam–the insides of their geodes. The second favorite part? The relaxed faces of moms and dads who got to stop being parents for 1 hour and be a lab partner. Sometime’s you need a break from parenting so you can see just how amazing your kids are, I think.
I gleaned some data and I’m looking forward to seeing if the children who want to be singers, dinosaur magicians, environmental scientists, astronauts, and math teachers grow up to follow their dreams. I am anxious to see if kids who never wanted to do anything with science may consider a field in engineering, math, science, or technology. My door is always open to them (and their parents) for feedback, mentoring, suggestions, and support.
As the night closed, I need to give a curtain call to my phenomenal assistants “Mistress” Monique Verschuur and “Doctor” Sawyer along with photographers and engineer F. Scotty Douglas and Judy Forbes. They were the team of companions every Doctor needs when she’s debating drinking the Everclear as opposed to making balls out of it. And Shaun Lyon, the center cog at the machine that is Gallifrey–thanks for letting us try something new, thanks for opening your doors to Sciencing With The Doctor. Every kid needs a dream, a sonic, a tiara, and the permission to blend fantasy with science. I’m already planning next year’s “In the Lab with Doctor Who” experiments.
Thank you.
A huge thanks to Monique Verschuur and Sawyer for their assistance during Sciencing With The Doctor, and a huge thanks to Judy Forbes and Scotty Douglas for their photography work!
