How to Train Your Jedi in a galaxy not too far away … “Star Wars” fans gathered at the Maryland Science Center to train as mythical knights and learn something new.

The sounds of discovery were supplemented by the tinkering of droid building and whooshing of the Millennium Falcon as parents and their Padawans gathered for a Jedi Academy event, part of the science center’s May the Fourth activities.

Several “Star Wars”-themed exhibits exploring topics in physics and engineering via the Star Wars Universe were plotted throughout the main halls. Wonderment was palpable as kids explored the activities and saw these scientific concepts played out in front of their eyes.

Maryland Science Center visitors gather around the Jedi Mind Trick exhibit showcasing optical illusions during the Jedi Academy event held on May 4, 2024, in Baltimore.
Maryland Science Center visitors gather around the Jedi Mind Trick exhibit showcasing optical illusions during the Jedi Academy event held Saturday. (Eric Thompson / For The Baltimore Banner)

Val Sullivan, marketing manager for the Maryland Science Center, said she was happy to see kids “get an opportunity to not only play around ‘in a galaxy far, far away,’ but also discover that they can do science.”

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With May the Fourth falling on a Saturday, the science center team combined a common staff passion with the educational goals of the museum

“I feel like ‘Star Wars’ and the Maryland Science Center are the perfect match,” Sullivan said.

She added that anytime there is a fun and relatable entry into teaching science they aim to take that opportunity.

“[We’re] able to talk about physics and relate that to ‘Star Wars’” with exhibits like Use the Force, in which the participants’ goal was to land “Han Solo cups” within one another using a deft hand and a bit of physics.

Sullivan noted that an event like this allows the team to stretch its creative side and use its biggest strengths in combination with inspiration from the movies to “link what we are best at showcasing to the fun elements of ‘Star Wars.’”

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Parents, too, were excited about the chance to experience “Star Wars” alongside their kids, and the educational opportunities it brings.

A visitor attempts to pull the Millennium Falcon cards out from between the "Han Solo Cups" as a part of the Use The Force exhibit during the Jedi Academy event at the Maryland Science Center on May 4, 2024, in Baltimore.
A visitor attempts to pull the Millennium Falcon cards out from between the "Han Solo cups" as a part of the Use the Force exhibit. (Eric Thompson / For The Baltimore Banner)

Joseph Talaiver, an avid “Star Wars” fan and Maryland Science Center member, said “Star Wars” and sci-fi impacted his life as a child and that it’s “fun for the kids to go beyond what could be real because now things become real out of sci-fi. ... You can’t ever say it’s impossible.”

He sees learning through “Star Wars” as a great opportunity to “escape from what our reality is to learn something different.”

The day even demonstrated the idea movies can tap into concepts such as acceptance, mindfulness and social emotional learning. The Jedi Academy event Saturday was an opportunity for kids to enrich their learning outside of the classroom and their typical schooling, Talavier said.

“Especially with ‘Star Wars,’ you also get the appreciation for other people, other species, good centering … understanding a balance, that sometimes you might get angry, but how do you balance that out with being happy,” Talavier said.

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