YOUNGSTOWN — Holiday cheer met hands-on learning Saturday when Jason Lindsey — better known as “Mr. Science” — brought festive science fun to the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

Nearly 50 children, ranging from preschoolers to middle school students, attended with their parents for an interactive program filled with curiosity, laughter and learning.

Lindsey is a nationally recognized STEM educator with a background in science, journalism and meteorology. He is promoting his second book, “Big Science Experiments for Little Kids,” and has appeared on major television programs, including NBC’s Today Show, Sherri, Fox and Friends, RFD-TV, WeatherNation and numerous local stations, including WFMJ-TV 21.

At the heart of Lindsey’s work is a simple philosophy: science should be hands-on, approachable and fun. His programs focus on helping children see how science connects to everyday life while encouraging them to ask questions and explore the world around them.

“Humans are natural scientists because we question the world around us,” Lindsey said. “We created science to understand it.”

He put that idea into action from the very start of the program, when volunteers discovered that people can act as conductors of electricity. Children and adults joined hands to form a human chain, completing a circuit that lit up a giant Christmas bulb. The simple but dramatic demonstration illustrated energy transfer and showed why a closed circuit is necessary for electricity to flow.

Holiday-themed experiments continued throughout the program. Using a fan and a streamer, Lindsey created a spinning vortex that demonstrated air currents and forces, visually resembling a rotating Christmas decoration. In another crowd favorite, a Santa ornament was sent “down the chimney” using a pie pan, a toilet paper tube and a plastic cup. As Lindsey explained, when the pan and tube were pulled away quickly, Santa resisted the motion and gravity took over — a fun lesson in inertia and force.

Children also were delighted to see lightweight Christmas ornaments float in midair above a blow dryer. The fast-moving column of air created lift, pushing upward against gravity and keeping the ornaments suspended.

The highlight of the event came when each child made their own “snow” to take home. Participants combined water with a powdered material called sodium polyacrylate, which can absorb 200 to 300 times its weight in liquid. As the powder absorbed the water, it expanded into a cool, white, snow-like substance that felt dry despite being full of water. Lindsey explained that the same material is commonly used in diapers because of its remarkable absorbency.

Lindsey said his favorite part of teaching science is sparking excitement and breaking down stereotypes.

“Science is a universal language, no matter what country you’re in,” he said. “You don’t need a white coat or fancy lab equipment. Many experiments, like the ones we did here, can be done at home with ordinary household items.”

He emphasized that all experiments should be supervised by an adult.

Families interested in trying more activities at home can find step-by-step holiday science experiments archived on Lindsey’s website at www.hookedonscience.org.

For the children and families who attended, the program delivered more than holiday fun — it offered a reminder that science is everywhere, and that learning can be both magical and memorable.