BASF Kids’ Lab 2016 opens gates of wonder

The interactive education programme was co-hosted by BASF and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training for the sixth consecutive year at Vietopia Edutainment Centre, in District 7.

This year, about 500 primary school students from Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7 and the rural districts of Nha Be and Can Gio learned about the critical role of water in their daily lives and discovered how chemistry can help water conservation.

Participants included students from schools in areas where clean water access is a very real issue for local residents, including Tan Quy Primary School in District 7, Duong Van Lich and Le Quang Dinh schools from Nha Be District, and Ly Nhon, Tam Thon Hiep, and An Thoi Dong primary schools from Can Gio district.

Kids had fun as they were guided through two experiments by BASF employees and university student volunteers.

During the water purification experiment, students learned how water is purified and turned into clean drinking water by using activated charcoal. The experiment underscores the value of clean drinking water and the importance of purifying wastewater produced by houses and factories before it flows back into the rivers and lakes.

The water storage experiment teaches students how a chemical compound called superabsorbent polymer can absorb water and offer a wide variety of applications in daily life, including baby diapers.

BASF Kids’ Lab is designed to help children learn from an early age about how chemistry can improve the quality of life and conserve natural resources.

Originated from BASF’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany, in 1997 as part of the company’s commitment to sustainability, BASF Kids’ Lab has been active in over 30 countries.

By the end of 2016, the programme will have reached out to almost 3,000 Vietnamese students thanks to the support of the Primary Education Division of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.