OMSI, performer team up to teach Woodland students

Woodland — Rhys Thomas, a performer who uses juggling and circus tricks to teach science, visited Woodland Primary School to perform “Gollyology,” a show he developed in partnership with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Thomas used his performance to go over topics like gravity, gyroscopic stability, rotational mass, friction and balance for the students. He frequently talked about an idea while displaying it in action, like when he spun a parasol while keeping a ball balanced on top to show gyroscopic stability. He also showed students a rendering of a cave painting believed to be at least 4,000 years old that showed women juggling.