Singapore Science Festival is back for its 20th year: Activity guide for the whole family
PHOTO: Facebook/Singapore Science Festival
PUBLISHED ONJuly 24, 2020 3:53 AM
This July, Singapore Science Festival is back for its 20th year, marking a new milestone in its festival history with a fully digital experience.
The theme of this year’s festival, Empowered by Science, is an invitation for young scientists and curious minds to get curious, dream big and harness the power of science to discover the limitless possibilities they can achieve.
From July 25 to Aug 8, the virtual festival will offer over 30 interactive events and activities for you to engage in, accessible on both desktop and mobile here.
Singapore Science Festival 2020 Goes Virtual: Activity Highlights
1. Science Made Simple with David Price
Enrich your weekends as you uncover the little-known science of water and sound with Science Busker Extraordinaire David Price. The sessions will be live streamed from the United Kingdom.
Date:
The Wonders of Water 26 July (Sunday)
Science in Unexpected Places 1 August (Saturday)
Music to Your Ears 8 August (Saturday)
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
2. The Explosive Food Show
Join Fran and Dan from the Royal Institution in the United Kingdom for an exciting, interactive and demonstration-filled day to bring a whole new perspective on food.
From the role each ingredient plays to the chemical transformations that take place while cooking – expect fire, explosions, chemical reactions and more as they show us the incredible amount of energy contained in the food that we eat.
Date: 28 July – 3 August 2020
Time:
28 July, 2.50pm – 3.30pm
29 July, 1.30pm – 2.30pm
3 Aug, 2.45pm – 3.45pm
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
3. Virtual Record Breaking Activity
Join us as we attempt to set a new Singapore Book of Records for the “Most number of people doing a science experiment together on an online platform”!
Participants will simultaneously conduct the “Magic Milk” experiment via Zoom to create a visually stunning experiment based on the scientific properties of surface tension using everyday materials including milk, ink and dish soap.
Join here: https://science-edu-sg.zoom.us/j/88217350007?pwd=cW1mQWpQNGxQTExGK296Y0o2QXZsZz09
Items needed:
- Milk
- Dishwashing soap
- Food colouring or Ink
- Cotton bud
Date: 8 August 2020
Time: 4pm – 5pm
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
4. X-periment!
A virtual exhibition designed to connect you to the R&D community and showcase the many exciting fields of Science.
X-periment! is a science carnival under the Singapore Science Festival jointly organised by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Science Centre Singapore (SCS).
Be the first to know about the latest developments and research in the science field at X-periment! where tertiary institutions, research institutes and companies will showcase their new innovations, including those on Covid-19. Discover and be “Empowered by Science”.
Date: 25 July – 8 August 2020
Time: All Day
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
5. Science Buskers Festival
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This year marks the 13th edition of The Science Buskers Festival, a trademark event under SSF umbrella where primary, secondary and tertiary students share their love of science through a show-and-tell demonstration.
This year, shortlisted buskers will have videos of their performances uploaded on the SSF 2020 website, where viewers can vote for the most creative video, best science demonstration and best on-camera talents.
Public Online Voting Period: 30 July – 5 August
Date: 25 July – 8 August 2020
Time: All Day
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
6. Story quizzes
A collection of fun, exciting and thrilling stories to uncover the mysteries of nature, chemistry and maths!
The Adventures of Wallace and Walnut: Join Wallace and his assistant Walnut the squirrel on their voyage as they observe interesting animal behaviour and ultimately deduce the important theory of natural selection.
Escape the Chemystery Lab: Navigate through creepy hallways, search for critical clues, and unravel the (che)mysteries of this dilapidated science lab. What exactly happened here?!
Back to School: Maths IS Fun!: Don your uniform and dig up your calculators because it’s time to head back to school for the most exciting mathematics lesson of your life!
Date: 25 July – 8 August 2020
Time: All Day
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
7. Trivia Series
Challenge your friends and family to a game of trivia! Put your knowledge to the test and see how many famous scientists and scientific discoveries you can recognise and guess the inventions that changed the world!
Guess the Scientist: For centuries, scientists have helped to empower society with their hard work and research. How many of these famous scientists do you recognize?
Guess the Invention: Many items that we can’t live without now were actually invented long ago and improved over time. Can you guess the seven inventions that have changed the world we live in?
Guess the Discovery: Discoveries in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology have helped us to understand how our universe works and have shaped the way we learn. Let’s see how many scientific discoveries you can identify!
Date: 25 July – 8 August 2020
Time: All Day
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
8. Inventions that changed the world
Let your hands run wild despite being stuck at home with our specially curated hands-on activities. Using items found around the house and a little spark of creativity, learn about six inventions that have empowered mankind.
The first four inventions include downloadable templates for families to create at home:
- Sundial – This invention allowed people to have a sense of local solar time, which was heavily relied on until clocks were invented.
- Compass – The first compass was believed to be invented in China during the Han Dynasty and was originally used for divination, fortune-telling and geomancy. Today, hand-held magnetic compasses are still used in sailing, mining, astronomy and in the military.
- Phenaskistoscope – A phenakistoscope is a cardboard disc made of a series of images around its rim. These images are reflected in a mirror to showcase a rapid succession of images that appear like a single moving picture.
- Windmill – Once used to generate mechanical and kinetic energy for ship sails, musical instruments and lifting water from wells.
- Periodic Table – In 1869, Russian chemist Dimitri Mendeleev started developing the periodic table, arranging chemical elements by atomic mass. Join “The Great Element Hunt” and win prizes when you share a photo of a household item that contains the element of the day! An element will be unveiled each day from 26 July to 8 August on @singaporesciencefestival via Instagram Stories, stay tuned!
- Vaccine – Vaccines contain the same germs that cause the diseases but these have been either killed or weakened so they don’t make you sick. A vaccine stimulates our immune system to produce antibodies against that disease. Dig out your health booklet and find out if you are well-vaccinated!
Date: 25 July – 8 August 2020
Time: All Day
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
9. Science Whaaaat? Videos
From foamy elephant toothpaste to an indoors hot air balloon, if you are up for an afternoon of science-filled activities, these hands-on experiments are just the right dose of fun for you! Check out the series of videos below that will get you asking “Science Whaaaat?!”
Videos include:
- Elephant Toothpaste (Experiment): With chemicals combined, a massive amount of elephant toothpaste is going to blow your mind! *Warning: It’s going to be messy!*
- Popping Canisters (Experiment): Watch as we make things “POP” and fly using simple materials and the concept of pressure!
- Hot Air Balloon (Exhibit with DIY): Marvel at the stunning hot air balloons floating up in the sky! What if you could try your hand at making your very own – indoors!
- Cloud Ring (Exhibit with DIY): The phenomenon of smoke rings can be observed in volcano eruptions and more. Learn to create your very own cloud ring maker.
- Bristol Stool Chart (Exhibit): You’re at the clinic with a bad tummy ache, but embarrassed to describe your poo to the doctor. What do you do? Catch our video at the festival to learn about a chart that does the job!
- Ecosphere (Exhibit): How does a sealed ecological system survive without any additional input of food and water? Find out what lies in Science Centre Singapore’s ecosphere that’s probably older than you and I!
Date: 25 July – 8 August 2020
Time: All Day
Fees: Free
Website: sciencefest.edu.sg
This article was first published in theAsianparent.