Pinoy kids explore magic of chemistry at BASF’s Kids Lab

MANILA, Philippines - For the ninth consecutive year, BASF continues to educate Filipino children the importance of chemistry in their everyday lives through the BASF Kids’ Lab.

In partnership with the Paciano Rizal Elementary School, BASF Kids’ Lab ran at the school’s campus. More than 400 Grade 1 to 6 students from the school participated in this year’s program.

They were given the opportunity to not only explore the fascinating world of chemistry but to also understand the importance of chemistry in their daily lives.

“At BASF Kids’ Lab, BASF hopes to introduce the concept of sustainability to the younger generation. To BASF, sustainable development reflects the commitment of individuals and organizations to combining long-term economic success with environmental protection for the benefit of the future generations,” said Flor Pan, managing director of BASF Philippines Inc.

“Because of its interactive and fun-filled approach, BASF Kids’ Lab is an ideal and exciting way to teach students how chemistry can be used to protect and preserve our environment,” added Pan.

This year, a number of BASF’s employees supported the program by serving as volunteer instructors. Under the guidance of the instructors, children had the opportunity to conduct a variety of fun-filled and hands-on experiments.

• Water purification experiment. In this experiment, children learn how chemistry contributes to keeping water resources clean and the need to protect the environment by properly treating wastewater.

Similarly, BASF’s WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Project, which donated several communal toilets to Paciano  Rizal Elementary School, also aims to educate young students about the importance of water resources.

• Paper chromatography experiment. Children are given the chance to experience and uncover the mystery of color, while learning how inks can be separated into different colors. They are able to separate colors through chromatography and get a basic understanding of one of the important separation methods using chemistry.

• Super absorber experiment. It shows how certain materials can absorb liquid 1,000 times its weight. With this experiment, students gain a better understanding of the use and importance of polymer in absorbing water.

• Vitamin C investigation experiment. Children learn the basics of oxidation-reduction reaction and how iodine can be used to identify vitamin C-rich foodstuff and beverages. Vitamin C products are produced by BASF to meet the strong demands for health supplements around the world.

• Slime experiment. Many children know slime as a toy you can buy in shops. In this experiment, children make their own slime by mixing water together with some simple chemicals and thickening agents. Children have a lot of fun at playing with their own slime creations.

BASF Kids’ Lab was first launched at BASF’s headquarters in Germany in 1997 as part of the company’s commitment to sustainability. Since the program began in 2005 in the Philippines, more than 6,000 elementary school students have participated.