Graduates gathered on Jan. 28 to give children an opportunity to explore what Missouri Southern has to offer.

Elisa Bryant, alumni director coordinator for the Alumni Association, planned and managed the event which lasted from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

“[Legacy Day] is for all graduates of Missouri Southern,” Bryant said. “So we send out letters and we advertise in the newspapers.”

Legacy Day has been an annual event for the past nine years. Bryant said this is the best year to date.

“It is a day for Alumni to bring back their kids and it’s kind of a recruitment day for Missouri Southern,” she said. “It’s a fun day of arts and crafts.”

The event is completely staffed by graduates of the University and several departments on campus.

The chemistry, art and education departments helped to make this event possible.

Chemistry Club filled two of the rooms at Taylor Hall showing the children the wonders of chemistry.

In one room, Josh Taylor, senior chemistry major, performed magic to entertain the children.

“We [Chemistry Club] showed eight to 10 year-olds different magic shows with chemistry,” Taylor said. “It was fun.”

He said the children were delighted to see the chemicals and they mixed the chemicals themselves and watch change colors in a clock sequence.

Along with the clock, snow was produced, water disappeared and slime was made all in one room.

“I think the kids really enjoyed it and that’s the main thing,” he said.

Upstairs was the other room of wonders: tie dye.

Tessa Woods, senior biochemistry major, helped the kids make their own tie-dyed T-shirts.

Woods is the also the standing president of Chemistry Club.

“Kids of all ages love tie dye and slime,” Woods said. “I mean what can you not do with slime? Its fascinating when put one thing in another and then ‘ewww.'”

Dr. Marsi Archer, Dr. Melvyn Moser and Dr. Michael Garoutte, faculty sponsors of Chemistry Club, helped along side the students.

“The kids had a lot of fun,” Archer said. “I think they liked us the best.”

Being very inquisitive, the kids ask several questions about chemistry and college.

“Some of them had a lot of genuine questions about science, chemistry and what to do in college,” Woods said. “What’s the difference in science majors?”

Archer thought it was great to reach out these students at the prime of ages of 11 to 13. “We’re getting them early.”

“I would have loved this stuff if someone would have come and showed me this stuff when I was little,” Woods said. “We tie-dyed, we made slime and we did fun game activities with the kids. We had the best thing, because we had a little bit of everything.”

Participating in Legacy Day is becoming a yearly event for Chemistry Club along side its performances at North Park Mall and local elementary schools.