Kelly Ferreira of Mad Science of Hawaii doesn't sound mad. If anything, she sounds like a carnival barker, ready to make the world of microbes and circuitry and heat energy as entertaining as a circus.

She and her sister, Jamie, have teamed up to be the opening act for today's Live Energy Lite, an energy fair, that celebrates October as Energy Awareness Month.

Mad Science is a nationwide network of entertainer-scientists, with a corporate office in Montreal, who make learning fun for keiki ages K-6. Here in Hawai'i, they play birthday parties, do live science shows and entertain at school assemblies.

"Baby lu'aus are one of our biggest areas of business," Kelly Ferreira said.

Theirs is a family affair: Her mother bought the franchise, and her sister worked for Mad Science in Arizona before they opened shop here.

What exactly do they do?

Well, picture a magic show with science demonstrations: An average birthday-party show, for example, has about 10 to 15 experiments. While no one spills corrosive chemicals or explodes the kitchen, Kelly Ferreira encourages the kids to answer questions and mix potions.

For the really inquisitive, there are specials to tack on to the show: hovercraft rides, a lesson in heat via cotton candy, laser lights, a rocket launch (outdoors only, please!) and making a periscope.

"Bubbling potions — dry ice experiments — are very popular," she added.

Today's fair is all about energy: a circuit board game, Tefla coil game, even the glowing pickle experiment.

"It's kind of smelly, but definitely a crowd-pleaser," she said.