A Budget Mum Review: Free event

Think kids in lab gear, rubber gloves, cool protection goggles and a tray full of scientific apparatus with real LEGIT chemical solutions–now that’s a sizzling mad science day waiting to happen.

At least for us, it DID happen when we were invited to catch a media preview of the BASF Kid’s Lab 2016 at Playeum this morning. The kids were stoked and so was I. They get to learn, have fun, mess up, pretend they were on route to being little Nobel Laureates, at absolutely no cost at all? That’s enough mad science on its own!

Mad Science apparatus

As we settled in, friendly Dr Bubbles explained the scientific mission at hand. The children were tasked with two dynamic science investigations to be completed within 1hour and 15 minutes. 

Investigation 1: Where is Vitamin C?

The aim of this experiment is to investigate which food and drinks contain Vitamin C. The kids were asked to drop iodine drops into lemon water and green tea to determine which solution had more Vitamin C. 

Investigation 2: UV Investigation: 

The aim of this experiment is to create their own sun screen and observe how it can protect us from UV rays

 

Dr Bubbles explaining the mission at hand


 

Iodine!

 

E hard at work

 

Apparently, this method is known as titration of Vitamin C with iodine. The kids used a dropper to drop iodine into both lemon water and green tea, counting as they went along. The solution which turned colourless faster and with less drops, had more Vitamin C. 

I thought it was a no-brainer. Of course, lemon water would have more Vitamin C. Turns out, I was completely wrong. Green Tea had more Vitamin C! The molecules in the lemon starts breaking down faster, rendering very little Vitamin C within lemon juice itself!

Baffled by the new discovery, we moved on to Investigation 2: UV investigation.

R getting ready for the next experiment.

The cool lab assistant explained what UV was and its radiation can harm the skin.

UV rays explained

 

The kids were each given a UV torch and were asked to experiment shining the UV light on different surfaces like cloths and newspapers. They then tested if normal beauty cream could shield us from UV rays when applied to a translucent disc. By shining the light on, the kids saw that their discs turned purple and were not protected by normal cream. 
They then proceeded to make their own UV cream with oil, water and two chemical gels to bind. 

Mixing.

  

E very pleased with her concoction.

 

They tested their creams with the discs by coating one side with the UV cream and the other side without.    
They then shone their UV torches to see if their cream worked. See the difference?   

The side that did not turn purple was protected!

R’s notes

 

BASF’s FREE education program aims to raise awareness and develop positive attitude towards chemistry for children aged 6 –12 through interactive experiments and I think they have achieved the objective!  It was an afternoon well spent in fun and scientific inquiry and the kids enjoyed themselves tremendously. Look at all the learning that they jotted down in their BASF journals! 

Here’s the good news. This November, BASF will be running the same series of experiments that you and your children can be part of!

Registration for BSAF opens tomorrow, 17 October and here are the details! Please share the news so that the children can experience chemistry come alive for them this school holidays. 

Date : November 15 – 20
Cost: Free

Sessions: 10:15am, 11:45am, 2:15pm, 3:45pm (Each session is limited to 40 participants) 

Venue: Ang Mo Kio Public Library

Duration: 1hour 15mins per session

Register: Log in to www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary starting tomorrow 17 October.
Facebook: BASF Kids’ Lab Asia Pacific 

BSAF is also launching its New Virtual Kids’ LabOnline platform where children can conduct ‘hands-on’ experiments online. 

Spread the love and don’t miss this opportunity!