On July 20, more than 40 children and their family members gathered at the Lititz Public Library to enjoy the unusual combination of a pirate tale mixed with science experiments as performed by Claire Golden Drake from Talewise, who asked the children to simply call her "Claire."

Each experiment was performed more than once. Claire explained that she would make a slight change with the second experiment and asked the children to form a hypothesis about what might happen based on that change.

In the program, called "Pirate Adventure: Lost at Sea," Claire began with a demonstration of surface tension by turning a jar of water upside down with only a screen to keep the water from pouring through. She explained how the gathering of molecules prevents the water from escaping immediately.

Claire then told the story of Grace and Roger, two children who sneaked aboard a pirate ship only to discover it had set sail before they could disembark. When the ship became lost in fog, Claire took a break from the story to show the children how to create fog in a bottle using isopropyl alcohol and a foot pump. "The heat from the sun causes liquid to evaporate into a gas. When that gas rises, we call it water vapor," said Claire, explaining how clouds are formed.

The next experiment was related to what happened when Grace and Roger sought a place to hide on the ship. After stumbling into the captain's cabin, the stowaways noticed that a glass bottle filled with liquid was teetering on a shelf. When it crashed to the floor, the liquid inside spilled out and burned a hole in the floor. To demonstrate the action of the liquid, Claire performed an experiment involving acetone, a solvent found in nail polish remover, and a cup made from plastic foam. When the acetone touched the plastic foam, it broke the bonds holding the material together and the cup appeared to melt.

When the pirate ship encountered a storm and washed ashore on an island with a gaping hole in its side, Grace, Roger, and the crew searched the island for food and the necessary wood to repair the ship. When none was found, the children used the ship's cannon to blow the ship up with the intention of building a raft from the wreckage. Claire explained that by mixing two ingredients - vinegar and baking soda - they could perform an experiment that would mimic an explosion. Utilizing a film canister, she showed the children how the cap of the container could be blown off. In the final twist on that experiment, Claire used the explosive action to force a spray of water onto those who chose to get wet. She explained that the spray was cold because of the carbon dioxide involved. "Dry ice, which is 109 degrees below zero, is the solid form of carbon dioxide," she explained.

"Pirate Adventure: Lost at Sea" was part of the Lititz Public Library Summer Reading Program, themed "Oceans of Possibilities." More information about the library may be found at http://www.lititzlibrary.org.