Giggling and gravity
Garry Krinsky makes science fun for the whole family
By Carl Kozlowski 01/21/2010
IT MAY BE TEMPTING TO ASSUME THAT AMERICA’S KIDS ARE HOPELESSLY HEADING down a spiral of stupidity when you consider failing schools and the nation’s ever-increasing addiction to everything from television to Wii games. But you can’t totally give up hope as long as there are guys like Garry Krinsky fighting the good fight in the name of science and education.
Krinsky carries on the proud tradition of Bill Nye the Science Guy by making science fun for the whole family, and he’s bringing his wildly fun family show, “Toying with Science,” to the stage of Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium at 2 p.m. Saturday. Allowing audience interaction with fast-paced science tricks, circus skills, mime and catchy songs that Krinsky wrote himself, the show teaches the principles of gravity, leverage, fulcrums and simple machines in a way that should have families laughing while they are learning.
Though the show is packed with tricks, its highlight comes when Krinsky balances five ladders on the edge of his chin in order to demonstrate the center of gravity. It all comes naturally to the Massachusetts native, who started performing as a child to entertain himself, neighborhood kids and his mother, who was a costume designer during World War II and went on to sponsor Halloween pageants for 20 years in her town. .
Since then, Krinsky has played more than 100 shows a year to crowds of thousands, doing his mother proud.
This weekend, give your kids a fun, interactive taste of true knowledge. It beats the heck out of another afternoon of Guitar Hero and Wii.
Garry Krinsky presents “Toying with Science” at 2 p.m. Saturday at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena. Tickets are $10 for children, $15 for adults. Call (626) 395-4652 or visit caltech.edu.
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