Get Messy sends eggs on a ride

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

It was an egg-citing afternoon at the Charles City Public Library as the Get Messy kids sent a score of shelled subjects down a zip line.

Getting a hands-on lesson in physics, the kids crafted safety baskets for their eggs before sending them on a ride down a string of fishing line, designing the baskets to both keep the eggs safely inside during their downward decent and also able to absorb the impact as the egg came to a sudden stop.

“I like to see what the kids come up with,” said children’s librarian Stacey Leerhoff. “How creative they can be.”

Some kids wanted to see their egg returned safely while others anticipated a hard-boiled ending for the poultry passengers. In either case, it was a subtle lesson in speed, force, and engineering all under the guise of an outdoor activity.

Next week will be the last Get Messy of the school year as the program will go on hiatus until summer. The activity will feature fire art and popsicle stick puzzles.