• Kids’ Lab aims at fostering learners’ interest in chemistry
• This educational outreach project highlights the importance of water resources

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, was awarded prize of 'Best Workshop-Outreach' for its highly successful Kids’ Lab workshops at the National Science Festival (SciFest) in Grahamstown held earlier in March 2016. Since 2011, Kids’ Lab has evolved into an award winning global program, with over 500 000 children having participated in the interactive experiments in around 35 countries so far. In South Africa, the company has reached out to almost 20 000 children.

Launched at BASF’s headquarters in Germany in 1997, BASF Kids’ Lab is an interactive chemistry education initiative that forms part of the company's global Sustainable Development Program. Earlier success of its Kids’ Labs workshops at Scifest - have  included awards for “Best Newcomer Exhibition” in 2013 and “Exhibitor of the Year” in 2014 - BASF was  again  pleased to expose young learners to hands-on chemistry experiments.  At Kids’ Lab, children between the ages of 8 and 15 are given the opportunity to explore chemistry by engaging and collaborating while conducting professionally guided experiments. Kids’ Lab enables young people to gain a better understanding of chemistry, and encourages them to find out more about the world around them. All of this is done in a fun and practical learning environment for both the learners and facilitators. Through participation in a variety of water-themed experiments, learners are given the opportunity to explore the magic of chemistry in the world around them.  

In 2015, BASF’s 150th anniversary year, a new experiment for Kids’ Lab was introduced called “Keep cool!” which was presented at Scifest Africa 2016 for the first time.  As with the previous water-themed program, the latest offering focused on a theme of global social relevance:  How can we avoid food losses so that there is enough healthy food for everyone to eat?  Children attending the “Keep cool!” workshop engaged with this topic by looking at the question relevant to their age group, for example, “How can we keep drinks cool for longer?

According to Joan-Maria Garcia-Girona, Managing Director of South Holdings Africa and Country Cluster Head for Southern Africa, “Kids’ Lab not only strives to improve science literacy, but it also aims to captivate the inquisitive nature of the young generation.  “From its early beginnings. Through initiatives such as Kids’ Lab, BASF continues to foster young people’s interest in natural sciences, especially chemistry, and Scifest Africa is the ideal platform to achieve this goal.”