NORMAL - For Ben Edwards, Family Science Day was literally a shocking experience. The sixth-grader was repeatedly touching a Van de Graaf generator - a metal ball that generates static electricity - and laughing as his hand and head got zapped.

"Most people think science is all about Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton," Edwards said. "But it's also about regular people figuring out how things work and why things happen."

Edwards was one of nearly a thousand children and parents to attend the Challenger Learning Center's Family Science Day at Illinois State University on Sunday.

The event, in its third year, was created to give families an opportunity to learn about science together, said Janet Moore, flight director for the Challenger Learning Center. There were more than 80 different stations set up with everything from flight simulators to a tiny hydrogen-powered car.

"Every area of science is represented here today," Moore said. "We have health, physics, chemistry, geology, even agriculture."

Moore said the targeted age group was kindergarten through eighth grade.

"For the elementary school-age kids, we're giving them an introduction to science," she said. "And for the middle school kids, this is the time where they decide whether they like science. We're hoping to remind them why they like it."

Edwards, 11, of Normal said he has liked science since he was a kid. His dad is a science professor at Illinois State.

"My dad got me into it, but I was also naturally curious," he said. "We also have a really good science teacher at school."

Wendy Penn-Schulze of Bloomington brought her niece, nephew and granddaughter. She said it's important for girls to have a good foundation in both math and science.

"For years they've always pushed boys into math and science, but things are starting to change," she said. "A girl can go just as far as a boy in a career, she just needs the same resources."

Penn-Schulze said Family Science Day makes learning science fun and exciting for kids.

"It's activities like this that make it interesting," she said. "No matter what career they choose, they can't do it without math and science."

Penn-Schulze's granddaughter Kalie Penn, 10, of Bloomington said she wants to be a doctor when she grows up and her favorite part of the event was the hydrogen-powered car.

"I also learned that astronauts have to eat dehydrated food," she said. "If they actually had good food in space like pepperoni pizza, maybe I would go (on a space shuttle)."