Some questions just invite curiosity. Such as ''how old is water?'' or ''how does moving air keep a beach ball floating?''.
For more than 600 Dunedin primary and intermediate school children that curiosity and questioning has been stimulated this week as the Science Roadshow hit town.
Run by the National Science-Technology Roadshow Trust, the roadshow travels the country each year reaching about 47,000 pupils from more than 600 schools.
North Dunedin Intermediate played host on Monday before Balmacewen Intermediate hosted the roadshow yesterday and today.
The show was aimed at children of primary and intermediate school age and featured two live shows and 70 hands-on exhibits.
And it was the hands-on nature of the show that had struck a chord with Balmacewen pupils, the school's teacher in charge of science, Rowan Cooke, said.
All 17 of the school's classes - nearly 500 children - would have attended the roadshow by the end of today, he said, as well as about 100 children from other schools.
The pupils had enjoyed the experience, he said.
''It's good because it's got a range of things.
''It's got the show, and the hands-on element is really good.
''It allows the kids to do things we can't really do at school.''
Exhibitions included in the roadshow had piqued the children's curiosity, he said, which would help fuel their interest in science.
That was important as science helped children think about how they could adapt to the changing environment they faced, as well as encouraging curiosity and demanding critical thinking, he said.
''Because that's kind of what science is all about.''
The roadshow will head to Oamaru's Recreation Centre tomorrow before touring Canterbury next week.
