What is it that allows super heroes to leap from tall buildings without breaking a nail, stop steaming locomotives with bare hands and hold back avalanches with only their breath? Children, attending the Kern County Museum’s Superhero Science Day Camp from June 9-13, discovered physics, genetics, anatomy and chemistry play roles in the makeup of superhuman crusaders. Given a choice, many of these same children would be environmental superheroes, if they could. Approximately 40 children, ages 5-12, learned there was a bit of science behind all the amazing deeds of their favorite superheroes. Monday, Spiderman was highlighted with the classes actually taught a little bit more about spiders than the man. Before the day was out, they had learned that a spider’s web is known to be a polymer that has enormous energy absorption and strength-bearing properties. No wonder Spidey could tie up the bad guys and swing from building to building. Education Manager Jackie Brouillette even put a small, toy spider made from polymers into a bowl of water, and the stunned campers watched as each day it grew to about five times its normal size. “I think children learn best when they are having fun and don’t realize they are learning,” Brouillette said. She has been coming up with new fun ideas and themes for the museum summer camps for six years now. To prepare for this one, Brouillette said she “watched a lot of the Science Channel and got the idea for the superhero tie-in from that.” She is constantly looking for ideas on Web sites and in books, plus the group of summer camp counselors who help teach many of the classes bring in ideas of their own. The newly finished kitchen in the Lori Brock Children’s Discovery Center is also a source of scientific experiments that often have a tasty outcome for the campers. More