Professor Marvel puts on a show at NRHEG Elementary Title 1 Family Night

The magician looked held out his hand to the fourth grader. He shouted for her to grab the dessert. She opened an imaginary refrigerator and grabbed the invisible dessert. He asked for another ingredient, and she walked to the imaginary cupboard, grabbed the invisible ingredient and began mixing it in a bowl only she could see. 
“Now step away,” said the magician.
The crowd waited in anticipation to see what delicious dish the girl had baked using only her imagination. The magician peeked inside the pot and gasped. The crowd leaned forward as he lifted the lid to reveal a live, quacking duck. 
The room erupted in applause. 
The NRHEG Elementary Title One Family Night, a bi-annual night for families and children, welcomed Professor Marvel’s Fizz Bang Boom Science and Magic show to the stage last tuesday, and parents and students enjoyed quite the show. 
Even before the program officially began, Richard Halbrook had children and parents laughing at his quirky antics. Once the show began, it was nonstop entertainment. 
A crowd of about 25 people watched as Richard and Lynn Halbrook (Professor Marvel and his assistant)  created clouds using a bottle and tire pump. They waved their arms in the air to represent sun and rain, and Richard rewarded them with a flower that seemed to magically grow based on their participation. Richard and Lynn even used a fourth grader’s imagination to even make a live duck appear under a dish that had been empty seconds earlier. 
Throughout the evening, Richard explained just how amazing science could be, and he encouraged kids to read books on the subject. 
The night’s Title One Coordinator Diana Foster was extremely pleased the night. 
“I thought it was amazing,” said Foster. “It was so fun to see the kids and parents engaged. I looked around and saw the parents smiling and putting their hands up, and I think Robert and Lynn did an amazing job of engaging everybody. I found myself smiling and watching and forgetting I was the adult in charge here and not just one of the kids.”
Foster said she and fellow-coordinator Jill Schlaak got the idea for inviting Professor Marvel from a Kasson-Mantorville teacher in the Mankato Area Title 1 Network who highly recommended the Halbrooks. 
Foster said the Title 1 family night takes place each spring and fall, focusing primarily on math and reading. Though reading was stressed, Foster said it was nice to have some science introduced as well. 
Foster said one of the main goals is helping families realize the amount of learning that can be done in the home as well, especially through hands-on learning. 
“We want to provide resources for parents and get them engaged and get kids excited about learning,” said Foster.