ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

If you first need to attract an outdoor audience, and if the atmosphere is sufficiently humid, you can't go wrong with giant bubbles.

I also find that water rockets are terrific crowd-pleasers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmD7zA4iFjE

If you are worried about where your missile might come down (and you should be!) an unmodified 2-litre bottle without venturi-nozzle or fins goes up frighteningly fast but falls back sideways, safely and softly. Alternatively you can tether it to a brick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AmXWbqbLvc

...or shoot it along a cord (these photos are great - how to get a laugh from a dauntingly serious German-Swiss audience - spray them with water):
http://www.interactives.co.uk/technorama-rocket.htm

At a festival in our local park last summer, and various events since, my rolled-paper 'stomp-rockets' were a huge hit. Children and parents made their own rocket with paper, scissors and tape, then queued up to send it high into the sky with my specially modified launcher. Here's a nice movie and some photos:
http://bit.ly/fadfb4

The previous year at the same local festival, I had people queuing to hurl water-balloons at each other with my 8-feet-high medieval siege trebuchet. This was actually much safer than it might appear. With an almost empty counterweight bucket, the action of the trebuchet is remarkably slow and gentle and the range is short. But check your public liability insurance! Here's a set of photos: 
http://bit.ly/fwdWZL 

I made my trebuchet so it can quickly be taken apart and carried on the roof-rack of my car. With a fully-loaded counterweight box it throws tennis balls (or water balloons!) 200 feet (60 metres). I only allow friends and family to do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH-cde4OtQs

Have fun. Best wishes for the repair work at Science Alive. You seem to be making the best of the earthquake damage problem.

Promoting public engagement with science
through a contagious delight in phenomena
*
[log in to unmask] * http://www.interactives.co.uk
*
Give people facts and you feed their minds for an hour.
Awaken curiosity and they feed their own minds for a lifetime.
*
Ian Russell (Twitter: ianrusselluk)

***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.

To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]