Science Fair Turns Preschoolers Into Experimenters (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Planting bean seeds in soil. Dropping eggs in salt water. Using the magic of solar energy to create artistic prints. Pouring water over Skittles to create new colors.

You name it and dozens of curious preschoolers did it.

St. James Preschool at the corner of Valley Road and Bellevue Avenue in Upper Montclair held its first ever science fair on Friday morning, turning about 70 little ones from 2 1/2 to 4 years old into experimenters.

Preschool director Sarah Eggleston said the genesis of the idea came out of a recently attended national conference on early childhood education.

"I took two teachers to this conference and they attended a session about science and the importance of holding fairs," she said.

And so, for the last two months, Eggleston and her staff organized Friday's two-hour science fair.

Consultant Robin Happonen said the science fair gave preschoolers a real hands-on learning experience.

"They get to do these things themselves instead of just seeing or hearing about them from books," she said.

Eggleston said the event went off without a hitch thanks to the help of several dedicated parent volunteers.

Parent Caroline Schestag, whose 3-year-old, Drew, attends the preschool, said it was amazing to see kids at such a young age conducting scientific experiments.

"This is my third child to come through this preschool but the first to get to do this," she said. "I think it's wonderful because not only is it fun but it also gives them independence."

St. James Preschool, which has served area families for over 25 years, offers a secular program for preschool age children, which is designed to foster the development of the whole child—emotionally, socially, intellectually and physically.