Young children have ‘clouds’ of fun with science at SIBF 2021
At 40th Sharjah International Book Fair, children create shapes out of air and experiment with liquid nitrogen at ‘Crazy Science School’ workshop
Sharjah UAE
Sallam Sallam
The 40th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) taught young students with a passion for experimental learning that science can be weird, but quite fun too!
The interactive ‘Crazy Science School’ workshop held at SIBF 2021 runs until November 13, featured an exciting round of questions and answers alongside practical experiments, resulting in yelps of excitement as young children experimented with the power of air.
Numerous demonstrations revolved around air and nitrogen, but the one that evoked the most enthusiasm was when participants learnt how to create ‘Torus’ shapes from air, using smoke. For this, they filled smoke into a drum-shaped container, which the children referred to as ‘Air Blaster 2001’. The audience went crazy as rings of smoke in unique shapes wafted through the air with just a gentle pat on the ‘Air Blaster 2001’.
To further educate the young audience on the power of air, kids were encouraged to direct the ‘Air Blaster 2001’ towards a pyramid of plastic cups, and they squealed in delight as the glasses cascaded down the table.
The highly engaging and hands-on learning session taught children theoretical facts which was reinforced through a series of fun experiments. The excitement drew the adults in too, enhancing their scientific knowledge just as much as the kids. The session ended with a literal ‘bang’ as the young participants discovered what happens when liquid nitrogen is mixed with boiling water – the reaction caused a loud explosion followed by the billowing of soft balls of ‘cloud’ across the stage.
The workshop facilitators put a strong emphasis on the fun element of science, showing that if one prioritises safety, there would be no limit to a child’s imagination and possibilities.
