“What do you think will happen?” she asked as she poured the solution into a hydrogen peroxide plastic bottle.

“I think it’s going to be a volcano!” cried one child.

As the two liquids collided, yellow foam erupted from the bottle, overflowing and pouring onto the table. It’s his one of many liquids set up around the Oakland campus for Saturday’s science fair.

“Ohhhhh!” cried the three children. They each dipped their hands in warm bubbles and high-fives Muhammad.

“It was a chemical reaction,” she explained.

This was one of many dramatic reactions at the Auckland Science Fair. It’s a chemical and emotional reaction. More than 1,600 of his primary school students in the Auckland area attended the festival, with additional walk-ins also participating in hands-on science experiments. Over 1,000 people took home a boxed science kit containing three of his experiments, including a homemade fan.

The fair is the brainchild of Ahmed Muhammad, Athena’s older brother who graduated from Auckland University of Technology in 2021 and was the first black male valedictorian in the history of the 100-year-old institution. Ahmed started his sophomore year at Stanford University and was joined by his freshman sister. Out of his garage during the pandemic, he created the Kits Cubed nonprofit after hearing his nieces and nephews say they didn’t like science.

“Starting here in Auckland, we want to ensure fair and equal access to science for every child in the country,” Ahmed Muhammad told parents and students as they lined up to check in on Broadway on Saturday. rice field. We provide quality instruction. ”

Over the past four weeks, Kits Cubed volunteers (all students themselves) have spread across campuses in the Oakland Unified School District to teach elementary school science.

Muhammad fell in love with science while attending third grade at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Auckland. Although he did not take regular science classes at school, his mother enrolled him in her three-week course offered by the National Association of Black Engineers, and taught him how to build solar-powered cars and I tinkered with model airplanes. He was hooked and wanted to bring that hands-on opportunity to other children.

Auckland’s Mr. Coulogli brought his eight-year-old son Adam, who is in third grade in Auckland, to the fair. A biochemistry student at Cal State East Bay, his Koulougli has developed a passion for science with his son.

“During the pandemic, he loved doing experiments with me at home,” Coolouri said.

His wife found out about the fair through Adam’s school and signed up.

“I was so excited,” Adam said as he waited for another packet of Arca-seltzer to fuel his handmade paper rockets. “I wanted to come here because I wanted to do a lot of science experiments.”

He had over a dozen choices on Saturday. One booth allows kids to make their own custom his slime, another tent allows students to make their own musical instruments, wooden blocks are woven around the lawn, and kids can play with their slime. Remote controlled his rover in a maze provided by the Chabot Space and Science Center.

Chris Johnson, a senior at Auckland University of Technology, volunteered at the fair and helped run the Van de Graaf Generator Tent. An electrostatic generator uses a belt to create an electrical charge on a hollow metal sphere. The aluminum bowl Johnson described to young people repels a charged dome because of its contrasting insulation.

“It’s important to teach children about the world around them and how it works,” said Johnson.

Auckland’s Teresa Rodriguez has seven-year-old son Mateo Perales.

Rodriguez said, “I’m very interested in this for him. What he learned about science.”

A sophomore’s hand still had the yellow foam from the elephant toothpaste demonstration.

“It was hot,” he said with a big smile. “I liked having all the ingredients.”

what does he want to do when he grows up?

“I want to be a science teacher.”

Matthias Gafni is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni