This is how Next Education’s Science Kit is making Science interesting and fun!
The popularization of science to develop interest and a lasting passion among students is a major concern across the globe. There have been numerous initiatives to address this issue in India as well. The core objective of ‘Science Education’ is all about developing ‘Scientific Temper’ and ‘Science Literacy’ as overarching goals rather than providing students with a lot of content which can merely enhance their knowledge without clearing their concepts thoroughly. As facilitators are the key persons responsible for transacting the teaching-learning process in the classroom, they need to be more invested in terms of fulfilling the objective of science education.
To generate excitement and interest in science through hands-on activities, the role of ‘science kit’ as resource material has long been cognized since the ’50s and early ’60s. There was a strong thrust on learning science by doing in western countries. However, the scenario has not been very encouraging in India at that point of time. So the trend of empowering education with science kits was not a familiar phenomenon in India. However, in recent times, the whole academic scenario is gradually changing for the better. And schools and colleges are emphasising on more hands-on-activities, hence, science kits are becoming an eminent part of science education.
There has been worldwide recognition of the power of children’s early thinking and learning as well as the belief that science can lay the foundations for lifetime learning and future discoveries. With appropriate guidance, the natural curiosity of children can be harnessed in the right direction to make sense of the world. One of the best ways to help young minds develop a keen interest in science is by providing them with science kits.
At Next Education, we believe that experiential learning is pivotal to turning knowledge into wisdom for children. Not only are our science kits designed to make learning fun and intellectually stimulating for children but it also gives them hands-on experience with different tools and equipment.
Before we elaborate further, let us know what Science Kit is and what are their benefits.
Science kits are educational tools designed to supplement formal classroom activities. Indeed, they serve the purpose of a mini-science lab. These kits contain lab equipment, materials, instruction manuals and references for carrying out a multitude of hands-on activities. They cater to students of different age groups and capabilities.
Benefits of Science Kits
- With the help of a science kit, learners get a deeper understanding of the concepts taught in science.
- Deploying a Science Kit in a classroom scenario can extend learning beyond classrooms. Children can conduct activities and experiments not only in their classrooms but also in the comfort of their own homes.
- Science kits comprise of numerous activities that help students with different learning abilities i.e visual, auditory and kinesthetic. With such impactful activities, they ensure better retention of concepts and illustrations.
- Experiments are integral parts of science. Equipped with the idea and ingredients of numerous experiments, science kits help children develop an analytical approach to learning.
- Science Kits ensures that learning is fun and intellectually engaging.
- They improve a child’s manual dexterity and help them develop a keen eye for detail. This makes them cognizant of the similarities and differences between various objects.
- Since science kits promote an experimental form of learning, students get to work by a process of trial and error which give them exposure to understand the whole concept better and learn them by heart.
With the recognition that children need to be engaged in the learning process, Next Education has created the Next Explorer Science Kits to arouse the innate curiosity of the child. Learning through a hands-on model is a fool-proof method that guarantees clarity of concepts to a child. Moreover, learning through practical demonstrations help a child learn quicker than mere abstract revisions.
Science Explorer for Class 6 students
Science Explorer (Grade 6) is a science kit for Class 6 students designed to facilitate experiential learning according to the CBSE guidelines for hands-on activities.
This DIY science kit for 11-year-old kids has the following features.
- 10 activities with 4–5 interlinking concepts
- Exclusive projects such as Nutrients Testing Kit, Charaka, Electric Cell, Blind Bug, Germination of Seeds and many more!
- Develops important skills such as world-awareness, experimentation, observation, creativity, problem-solving, higher-order thinking skills, risk mitigation and collaboration; and increases engagement and retention
- Activity videos on the NextCurriculum mobile app (Google Playstore) to be unlocked with product key provided inside the back cover of the instruction manual
- 100+ high-quality, reusable items
The smart Science Explorer is filled with interconnected activities. Some of those activities are mentioned below
Charka:
The activity Chakra prescribed in the Science Kit explains the relation between the thickness of the cotton wick and the strength of the yarn spun from it. The objective of the activity is to let students convert fibre into yarn using that chakra. During this activity, learners will get to make a chakra with the provided equipment of the kit. The whole activity will enhance learners creativity along with fine motor skills. Tailored with interesting facts and more elaborated real-life experiences and a variety of questions, Charka is a complete scientific activity.
Electric cell
This age-appropriate Electric cell activity helps learners to understand the structure of an electric cell and the concepts behind the working of an electric cell. With this activity, they get the knowledge of the presence of the chemicals in an electric cell and understand the concept of an electric circuit. The Electric cell activity stimulates the critical thinking of students and makes them future-ready. The post-activity questions provide students with space where they can go creative and analytical.
Fun with separation
The activity prescribed in the chapter, ‘Fun with separation’ is a mindful activity that uses various methods of separation like winnowing, handpicking, magnetic separation, sedimentation, decantation, filtration and evaporation to separate the components of a mixture. Learners with prior knowledge of the concept of the mixture can identify the properties of components that are used for separating them from a given mixture with ease. During each part of the activity, learners would face questions which makes the activity challenging and smart. Real-life scientific concepts such as water purification and nanofiltration can be taught via Fun with separation activity.
Investigation of seed germination
Seed germination is a vital part of Grade 6 science lessons. It is important for students to learn the concepts thoroughly and clearly. The objective of the activity is to make students identify the conditions necessary for germination and determine the effect of abiotic factors like oxygen, water, temperature and light on the germination of seeds. With this activity, students will be exposed to the observation portion of scientific experiments and learn how to do detailed measurements and keep a track of developments.
The methods of learning and teaching science have undergone numerous changes and we will witness further developments in the future, as the process is ever-evolving. The idea of teaching science on a result-oriented note necessitates the use of teaching assistance tools such as science experiment kits which can bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Next Explorer Kits work towards making science fun and enjoyable through generating enthusiasm and interest in science, rather than scary and difficult. With the help of our detailed manuals, the students can easily take part in numerous activities and create models independently with a little facilitation of parents or teachers. In addition, the instruction videos available on the Next Curriculum app also ensures that the students will always have visual aids to always assist them in case of roadblocks.
