“Are y’all ready?” teacher April Blackburn asked an attentive group of second- and third-graders.

“Yeah!” the children shouted in unison, as they crowded around the table at Booker Arts Magnet School in Little Rock.

Blackburn mixed baking soda with Coke, and the concoction shot through the bottle, eliciting a prolonged “Whoa!” Moments later, the students were asking for a repeat of another chemical reaction.

Capturing the attention of young learners wasn’t a problem at the recently completed Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY), a program of the UALR Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education.

The center, established nearly 15 years ago, provides services and support to gifted students, their families and their teachers and administrators. SLUFY, in its 36th year, is one of the center’s outreaches.

This year’s program wrapped up July 24 after hosting about 350 gifted and talented students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Staff included more than 30 instructors, many of whom are completing or have completed UALR master’s degree studies for teaching the gifted and talented.

Teachers like Blackburn, an instructor who specializes in working with gifted and talented students in Bigelow, largely crafted their own lesson plans for the summer program.

Courses offered a diverse array of options for participants, including themes of food, art, acting, science — even opera.

In the school library, students encircled an instructor and patiently awaited their chance to hold a ball python named Shiva. The children weren’t shy about speaking up or getting near the relaxed reptile, which sat curled up like a brown-and-black colored spring coil in the palm of each student’s hand.

“Does it actually drink water, or does it absorb it?” one student asked.

Snakes drink water, was the response.

In another lesson area, a student greeted Jason Finney, third-year principal of the SLUFY program, as he entered.

The student proudly pointed out a windmill constructed of string, paper blades, and a lemonade container lifted 40 washers with the help of a fan.

“You had enough wind power to lift that?” Finney exclaimed. “Wow, that’s unreal.”

Other students crafted their windmills out of orange juice or milk containers. All were excited to try out their inventions.

During the program, participants chose from about 35 courses, each with a two-week curriculum and a class-size limit of 15.

SLUFY attracts students from throughout the region, providing not only entertaining, high-level instruction, but also an opportunity for participants to make connections and friends with other high-achievers who have similar interests, Finney said.

For more information, visit https://ualr.edu/slufy