Brownies Make Slime at Visit to Holmdel High Science Lab

HOLMDEL, NJ - Jersey Shore Brownie Troop 120 recently made a visit to Dr. Josephine Blaha’s science lab at Holmdel High School and the result was pure chemistry.

Troop 120 is made up of six young ladies (and one younger sister), all of whom are currently third graders at Village School in Holmdel. Troop leader Greta Buerkle, along with fellow parents Laxmi Chen and Mariah Dubin, said it was the girls themselves that came up with the idea for the visit to the high school lab.

“At the beginning of the school year our Brownies brainstormed together and made a list of ideas that they wanted to pursue. One of them was 'how to be a scientist.' The girls stated they were most interested in robotics and conducting messy experiments,” Buerkle said.

Dr. Blaha did not disappoint, especially when it came to the “messy experiment” part of their request. She had the girls complete a lab where they created slime out of common household ingredients.

After a tour of the lab, Dr. Blaha distributed lab coats and protective eyewear and explained the importance of these items when conducting any experiment. They learned new terms like “beaker” and “flask;” then Dr. Blaha showed the girls how these tools were used in the lab by illustrating some simple chemical-based reactions. Lab coats buttoned and safety goggles firmly secured, the girls then proceeded to work through the experiment where they produced slime, with Blaha guiding them through the process and answering questions.

Troop Leader Buerkle was thrilled to see the girls so engaged and excited. The lab visit “was an absolutely perfect way to give them a hands-on lab experiment," she said.