Science is made fun for Sharjah teenagers at carnival

Students take part in the Sharjah Science Carnival at the science museum. Courtesy Sharjah Museums Department

SHARJAH // Teenage schoolgirls enjoyed some hands-on scientific learning on Tuesday in fun experiments with a serious educational message.

Pupils from Al Manar Model School for Girls in Sharjah used liquid nitrogen to make ice-cream and freeze balloons and flowers as part of Sharjah Science Carnival, which is being held in schools, at Sharjah Science Museum and the Al Qasba theatre.

They also learnt about chemistry and physics through popcorn and candy floss.

Mayasa Al Ali, 14, from Al Azra, said: “It’s been very interesting to watch examples of what we learn in the classroom be done in front of us. It’s fun and entertaining and it will help us understand science [more] easily than reading it in a book.”

The science museum’s Mariam Al Askar, who conducted experiments, said interactive and stimulating learning was the focus of the event.

“The carnival opened up pupils to ask scientific questions, they were intrigued,” she said. “They asked us about how this or that happened, and we try to teach them in a simplified and colourful way, so that the facts are memorised and understood.

“They are at an age where they will absorb a great amount of information, and we need to utilise that by giving them as much as possible.”

Science museum director Azza Al Harmody said the museum was going to the children, instead of the other way around. “We typically wait for children and visitors to come to the museum to learn. This time, we are going to them,” she said. “We want to reach out to more schools to teach children about science and how much fun it is.”

The science carnival was organised by Sharjah Museums Department in collaboration with Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme, a nationwide initiative that has been instrumental in transforming the nation’s education system.

The programme aimed at integrate technology into classrooms, while also meeting the best international standards.

“We have partnered with Sharjah museums to bring in the latest experiments and technologies to teach science to children,” said Mohammed Gheyath, director general of the programme.

The Sharjah Science Carnival will finish tomorrow. For more information, call 06 566 8777 or visit sharjahmuseums.ae.