Some families spend their time shopping during the holiday season. Others spend it relaxing around the house or visiting relatives.
The Eallonardo family of Yorkville watched family member Sam answer science questions for prizes at the SciTech Museum’s fifth annual SciBee. “This has become our holiday tradition,” said Christine Eallonardo, Sam’s mother. “Sam competes in the contest, then we look at the museum exhibits and then go out for a nice lunch.”
“I know a lot of kids would rather stay home and play video games, but to me this is more fun,” the 11-year-old said. “It’s a real challenge.”
This year the Eallonardos had extra reason to celebrate: Sam walked away with first place in the 5th- and 6th-grade division. The prizes he won included gift certificates to SciTech and several area businesses.
The Amjur family of Aurora also planned to celebrate after the contest.
All four children won or placed in their age groups: 11-year-old Vidya, who won the last two years, placed second behind Sam Eallonardo.
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Six-year-old twins Kalpa and Kavya placed first and second, respectively, in the 1st- and 2nd-grade division, and 9-year-old Vikram placed third in the 3rd- and 4th-grade division.
“We don’t do anything special to prepare for the SciBee,” said the Amjurs’ mother Sowmya. “The kids just love science. We all watch science shows on TV and talk about it all the time. It’s what they love to do.”
It probably doesn’t hurt that Sowmya Amjur teaches chemistry at the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora and that her husband, Sriram, is a research chemist at Cabot Microelectronics in Aurora.