Parents of young children would unanimously agree that children are fuelled by curiosity. How do airplanes fly? What is lava? How can fishes breathe underwater? They rapid-fire an endless barrage of questions at any given opportunity. As such, you might find yourself caught between wanting to nurture this natural instinct and not having the answers to all of their questions.
As children from a young age are developing theories about how the world works, parents are instrumental in fostering this curiosity. This will instil important life skills in them and potentially spark a desire for life-long learning.
It all sounds good, but it doesn’t sound all that easy, does it? As an average parent, answering your children’s questions is challenging enough, let alone facilitating science activities and projects!
Singapore Science Festival 2020
Jointly organised by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Science Centre Singapore, the SSF is an annual event celebrating the role that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) play in shaping our lives and sculpting our future.
The theme of this year’s festival, Empowered by Science, is an invitation for budding scientists and young minds to get curious, dream big and harness the power of science to discover the limitless possibilities they can achieve.
At this point you might wonder, how is this possible given the current Covid 19 situation?
As we know, most if not all things are possible with technology and the SSF is no exception. This is the first edition in two decades to go fully digital!
Yes, you read that right.
SSF 2020: Empowered by Science is designed to take participants on a virtual journey to experience, engage and explore the power of science. You and your children can look forward to an interesting lineup of activities from the comfort of your home!
Read on to find out more about the key events you can look forward to.
Highlights of SSF 2020
X-periment!
The world of science is constantly changing and there’s always something new to discover. Taking place from 25 July to 8 August 2020, X-periment! is a science carnival that is jointly organised by A*STAR and Singapore Science Centre (SCS).
This is a great platform to introduce your children to the latest innovations, developments and research by A*STAR research institutes, tertiary institutions and various organisations.
Science Buskers Festival
If you thought that busking is only about talented musicians in busy sidewalks, think again! Ever heard of science busking?
For this festival, contestants do a show-and-tell of their chosen topic and winners are decided based on the judges’ score as well as audience votes. This year, the competition will be done via video submissions.
The best part is that your children, and just about anyone, gets the opportunity to vote for their favourite science buskers via the SSF website. Shortlisted videos will be up on the website by 30 July and voting begins from then to 5 August. Winners will be announced by 14 August.
What better way to promote the learning of science in an engaging manner? In line with the 21st century skills that our children are learning, this is a perfect opportunity to let them experience creative science communications and expressions.
It’s really not all about facts!
Games and Quizzes
If you’re tired of answering your children’s endless science questions, here’s the chance to turn the tables. Challenge them to a game of trivia and let them run their hands wild with the specially curated hands-on activities! These games and quizzes will take them on a thrilling adventure through different stories to uncover the mysteries of nature, chemistry and math! Here are some of the games and quizzes to look out for:
- Guess the Invention
- The Adventures of Wallace and Walnut
- Escape the Chemystery Lab
Science Whaaaat? Videos
When it comes to the little ones, science is a whimsical world of colour, texture and other wonders that never cease to amaze them. They are always looking for opportunities to get their hands on foam, bubbles and anything that makes them feel like a budding scientist.
If you want to engage them in such play, look no further. From foamy elephants to an indoor hot-air balloon, if you’re up for an afternoon of science-filled activities, these hands-on experiments are just the right dose of fun that your children.
Check out a series of videos that will get them asking, “Science Whaaaat?!”
David Price’s Science Made Simple
If you haven’t already heard of him, David Price is a science busker extraordinaire. Join him on a learning journey as he unravels the secret science of water and sound as well as in the most unexpected places!
Be sure to take note of the date and time as he is streaming live from the United Kingdom. You may join the sessions via this link.
- Session 1: The Wonders of Water (26 July 2020, Sunday 2 – 3pm)
- Session 2: Science in unexpected places (1 August 2020, Saturday 2 – 3pm)
- Session 3: Music to your ears (8 August 2020, Saturday 2 – 3pm)
Virtual Record-breaking Activity
Setting records is always fun. Setting a science record, that’s even more fun! Join us on 8 August 2020, at 4pm, via the live-stream (click here for the Zoom link to join the session) from the comfort of your home as we attempt to set a new record in the Singapore Book of Records or the “Most number of people doing a science experiment together on an online platform!”
Again, it’s an opportunity to let the children try their hand at the experiment. Be sure to have the following ready:
- Milk
- Dishwashing soap
- Food colouring or ink
- Cotton bud
- Plate
So, mums and dads, as you can see, facilitating science experiments and projects is easier than you thought. Just get them on board and SSF will do the rest.
Remember, the human spirit is limitless. And when the human spirit wields the power of science, the possibilities are endless, whether it’s curing cancer or living on Mars.
Show your children the immense possibilities in the world through the Singapore Science Festival!
Stay updated on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/singaporesciencefest/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/singaporesciencefestival/?hl=en
