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Science and technology in education is not a fad of the latest education “system”. For the past one millennia science, has been an integral part of our education, culture & even religious rituals – at times couched under the guise of “rules” to be followed and often labelled as superstition. To help masses benefit from science our historical texts & rituals laid out the process but only the educate few knew the scientific reasons behind them. But with the big focus on education for the masses starting in the nineteenth century the emphasis on understanding “why” we do what we do in growing stronger.
It is also a myth that studying science is for the nerds & that people specializing in fine arts or sports do not need to focus on understanding different aspects of science & its branches like physics chemistry & biology to name a few. A ballerina should understand the dynamics of rotational motions to make her spins more impactful & graceful. An understanding of mass, rotational velocity & inertia would be key to help her here. A swimmer should understand the flow of fluid around a streamlined body to maximize power & speed in a competition. A sprinter needs to understand the biomechanics of human body & how to get the explosive force needed at the shot of the gun. All of these people need to know the impact of the key components of nutrition for their bodies. The importance of understanding what carbohydrates, proteins, fats & minerals help their bodies deliver peak performance. All of this is science. Each professional would excel much more if they understood & leveraged science to their advantage. Science is but a tool for enhancing our knowledge & understanding of what we do every day & make it more meaningful & help us excel. It is important to understand that science is not only about making rockets, building bridges or developing supersonic jets. Science is something that helps us live our lives better every day and in every walk of life. It’s a way of life which if adopted well helps us grow by leaps & bounds & make us happier & healthier overall. -Shubhra Bhatnagar Enthusiastic guest blogger for Petri-dish Science Hello all , I would like to share with you the first story that i wrote to explain the concept of molecules and states of matter to kids .
Once upon a time there lived a really tiny ice molecule whose name was H2O . He lived in an icebox in a refrigerator . H2O was a happy jolly fellow who loved music and dancing But there was just one problem… he was so tightly packed in with other ice molecules that he could not move very much.This made him a little sad sometimes . He often heard music flowing into the kitchen and kids dancing to it .”Ah ! I wish I could dance with them “ , he thought , “ Well at least I can blink my eyes and wiggle a little, that’s not so bad “ Yet every night he would dream about the day when he would get his freedom, the freedom to dance ,move and jump . One day he heard the kids excited voices in the kitchen Summer was approaching and there was going to be a party in the backyard .There would be delicious food, fresh fruit punch and yes… music. When the day of the party arrived ,H2O woke up to a deafening sound . He realized that he and other ice molecules were falling really fast . They slid refrigerator and right into a big bowl of fruit punch “Ouch “ he cried as he it the liquid “ where am I ? “ Bright sunlight hit his eyes as two giant pairs of eyes stared down at him . “ The Punch is ready !! “ , the kids announced to their mom , as they carried the jug outside . The party had started .H2O looked around him wide eyed ,he had never been outside of the ice box before . There were trees and birds around him . The sky was brilliant blue and the sun was shining down on him. He felt all warm and fuzzy with happiness.”This is turning out to be the best day ever “, he said He couldn’t help but wiggle to the music . The hot sun soon started warming him up .He felt this sudden burst of energy and he broke free of the bonds that had held him so tightly to the other ice molecules . He had now transformed into a beautiful sparkling water molecule . “ Did you see what just happened ?” , he asked the other water molecules .” Look we are still attached to each other but now we have soo much space to move. “ I can dance and jump and even float around the punch bowl . “Watch me ! “He sang ,”Watch me …whip , watch me nene “ His excitement was however was shortlived ..A man had just swooped over to pour some fruit punch for himself .H2O was horrified , he called out to the other water molecules “Swim , swim as fast as you can to the bottom of the cup” .Everyone did as they were told , but there was no hope in sight as they looked back at the thirsty man staring longingly at his cup of refreshing fruit punch. But just then someone called out to him. “ I’ll be right there “ he said as he hurriedly put down his cup and walked away . “ Phew ! That was a narrow escape” , said H2O, relieved that the man had forgotten all about his drink. The abandoned cup stood there in the hot sun long after the party was over but for H2O the party had just started. He realized that the heat of the sun had given him enough energy now to slowly float up and out of the cup . He was no longer attached to other molecules around him .He had now transformed into a light and airy molecule of water vapor . This was the moment he had waited for all this life .He finally had freedom, the freedom he had dreamed about every night. He did summersaults and bumped around with the other excited molecules . They all moved and danced faster and faster until they were really high up in the sky and everything below looked tiny , like a fine pattern on a woven blanket . He found himself humming a tune: Give me some sunshine Give me some rain Give me another chance I wanna go up once again. But when H2O had travelled further up in the sky, the air around him did not feel so hot anymore. He was cooling back into a water molecule .He found himself holding hands again with other molecules and moving very slowly. “Oh no “ what just happened ,”he cried out . He was part of a huge cloud now . a beautiful fluffy cloud. The other, more experienced molecules told him “ You are going to soon rain down on earth and even turn back into ice when winter comes .” But H2O wasn’t sad about it anymore. His life had changed forever. He now knew that soon when things warmed up enough, he would get a chance to be free again and dance to music again .He had hope and he now loved who he was ….whether he was ice , water , or water vapor . THE END !!! Pragya Bhatnagar Founder Petri-dish Science |
Recent PostsAuthor : PragyaI am the founder of Petri-dish Science . A lifelong science lover and an engineer with a passion for teaching STEAM concepts to young kids using the arts and lots of hands-on action ! Guest Author : Shubhra
I am an Engineer , scientist , book lover, a passionate mom and a stalwart for education . I believe that a good science education can make a huge difference in a child's life Categories |
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