Elementary school students weren’t playing bones, but they were learning pentominoes.

Students at Crescent Harbor Elementary were using geometric shapes to make a larger shape during a lesson Thursday. It was one of the numerous activities teachers from the Pacific Science Center brought to Oak Harbor elementary schools this week. They visited four schools in the Oak Harbor area and gave students an all-day experience meant to inspire them in math.

The day started with an all-school assembly to spark students’ interest in the subject.

Throughout the day students filed into a room set aside for hands-on exhibits that incorporate math concepts.

During one visit, kindergartners were putting together puzzles and manipulating shapes.

“They always bring a lot of hands-on stuff that is great,” said kindergarten teacher Bonnie Schmied. “The kids love the hands-on.”

Following the assembly, Pacific Science Center teachers visited classes to teach math-based lessons.

In addition to the pentominoes, fourth graders learned several other practical applications of math. The students learned how to measure the probability of getting a prize from a cereal box and how to measure an object’s center of gravity.

“We try to relate lessons to the things kids understand,” said April Wedman, manager of the Science On Wheels program.

The Science Center divides the lessons between three groups — kindergarten through first grade, third through fifth grade and fifth through eighth grade.

While the younger students learned about symmetry, probability and scale, the older students also learned about probability as well as fractals and types of solids.

The concepts brought by the Science Center teachers also mesh with concepts teachers cover in their classes.

“It matches and blends with things we’re working on as well,” said Craig Dunnam, principal at Crescent Harbor Elementary School.

He added that schools have placed a high priority on math this year, which is why the Pacific Science Center’s Mathfinder program was brought to the island.

Fourth-grade Teacher Rebecca Ching said the day helps students get enthusiastic about science and the timing of the Science Center’s visit was good since Thursdays are science days for students.

It takes about a year for Science Center staff to put together one of its Science On Wheels program. In addition to Mathfinder, the Pacific Science Center operates several other programs including Rock and Roll(geology), Blood and Guts (anatomy) and EcoConnections.

Staff members meet with teachers, mathematicians and scientists to gain input on what is needed for one of the programs. They also examine state education standards to work them into the exhibits, Wedman said.

An in-house production team produces education materials used in the programs and they are tested on students before making their way into schools around the state.

With all the Science On Wheels programs operating, Science Center teachers visits schools in every county in the state throughout the year.

That’s quite a bit bigger than what was offered when the program started in the 1970s. Stemming from the gas crisis, Science On Wheels started in a station wagon that provided a mobile way to bring science into the classroom rather than having students visit the Pacific Science Center. And the program just blossomed from there, Wedman said.

The Science On Wheels program is funded through private donations, the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and a fee paid by participating school districts.