Science for Kids: A practical approach to math, science
(Source: The Jakarta Post, I.D. Nugroho, Surabaya, Sunday, 23 March 2008)

Grade 5 elementary school students listen to their "lecturer", a university student at the 10 November Institute of Technology Surabaya, as he explains the practical, real-life working of math and science in the Science for Kids program. (courtesy. ITS)

Math and science majors do not always scare elementary school students. This was proven by the 90 primary school students who enthusiastically took part in the Science for Kids program, held March 11 at the 10 November Institute of Technology Surabaya (ITS).

In Science for Kids, the ITS students presented math and science to elementary school students as real-life applications.

For example, the university students showed their juniors several magic tricks and explained them from a scientific angle. One such trick was pulling a tablecloth off a table without spilling the plates and cups atop it.

"Wow, it's like magic," said Ahmad Zulkarnain of Mabadiul Ulum elementary school, after watching an interactive video presentation on the application of Newton's Law.

The young students' enthusiastic responses did not dim throughout the video presentation on resonance, expanding objects and electricity, which included a story on fluorescent bulbs.

"These (fluorscent) bulbs can light up because they are filled with the gas krypton, but they are brighter than neon bulbs," said Nailul Hasan, a Physics major who explained the application of this science to daily life.

While the majority of elementary school students admitted that science and mathematics were not their favorite subjects, they still listened keenly to the explanations on statistics. This science of calculation, which is reputed to be difficult and complex, was made easier to understand through games and quizzes.

"Statistics is a close friend of numbers and a cousin of mathematics," explained Statistics major Novita. Providing a simple, introductory approach to math and science to elementary-level students is the primary objective of Science for Kids, and its target, the grade-5 students who sat in neat rows in a room at the ITS rector's building. These young students hailed from Raden Patah Islamic elementary school as well as the Menur Prumpungan, Mabadiul Ulum, Yapita and Klampis Ngasem I elementary schools.

"We're really excited about introducing mathematics and the natural sciences as basic science for elementary kids," related third-year ITS math and science student Bandung Arisanjoyo, who began the session with math, then went on to cover biology, physics, chemistry and statistics.

In general, math and science subjects are considered "monsters" among school students. According to Bandung, however, elementary school students are able to grasp the concepts if they are delivered in a simple, understandable manner.

"This is an opportunity to make kids like math and science," added Bandung, who explained to the young students the importance of the subjects to their futures.

"You cannot ignore the role of mathematics and the sciences in the development of science and technology," he said, urging the children to study math and science diligently, and not give up.