On Thursday, February 13, scores of parents flooded into the Van Horne Elementary gym to check out the wide range of Science Fair booths on display.

Row after row of booths were lined up in the gym with experiments which looked at shrinking eggs, how dishwasher liquid cleans oil, whether we can taste with our eyes, lemon juice writing, balloon cats and even a booth detailing how to make fresh flowers last longer.

Chloe Lebasseur was one of many young budding scientists on hand to talk about her booth. Lebasseur, who attends Van Horne and is in Grade 6, wondered whether all the ingredients in a cupcake matter. She decided to find out by omitting one of each ingredient. The method yielded six cupcakes, some of which had definitely seen better days.

Laebasseur said she tested 12 people and her experiment seemed like a natural one considering how often she bakes at home.

Meanwhile, across a few aisles, Grade 6 student Reese Critchlow was showing off how different waxes led to different impacts on the slopes. Critchlow's exhibit took his audience through the steps of applying wax and what he discovered when he tested the various skis on the slopes.