Here, we transform learning into an adventure of discovery and science for primary and secondary students.
Our unique methodology fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving, equipping young minds to tackle tomorrow's challenges.
We achieve this through the powerful interaction of science and creativity with multiple inspiring disciplines like art, music, cooking, and ballet, to inspire the future scientists who will transform our society.
We are also deeply committed to fostering the empowerment and visibility of women in science. Our programs are designed to move beyond traditional learning, encouraging children to explore, question, and innovate.
How We Work
Hybridising, Experiencing, and Co-creating
We employ an unconventional and holistic approach to science education, focusing on active and imaginative engagement:
- Hybridising Science and Creativity with Other Disciplines: We blend scientific exploration with fields like art, music, cooking, and ballet. This shows that science is interconnected with all aspects of life and culture, making learning richer and more relevant.
- Generating Experiences Through Play and Co-creation: Learning is most effective when it's hands-on, engaging, and collaborative. We design activities that encourage play and co-creation, allowing children to discover scientific principles through direct experience and working together to build new knowledge. This involves "learning by doing" for educators and children alike.
- Learning Oriented Towards ODS Challenges: Our programs integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (ODS), encouraging students to understand global challenges and to use scientific and creative thinking to propose innovative solutions. This fosters a sense of responsibility and global citizenship.
Our Core Science Education Programs
1. Ludoteques & Escuelas rurales
This program aims to transform ludotecas (play centres) and rural schools into vibrant spaces of exploration and learning, nurturing children's natural curiosity and expanding their understanding of the world. It capacitates educators and facilitators to become active dynamizers of creativity and innovative thinking in childhood through playful science and adapted innovation methodologies.
Our Approach in Practice
We facilitate hands-on, experiential learning through specially curated activities:
- Designing Experiments with Everyday Materials: Utilising readily available and recycled materials (e.g., plastic bottles, cardboard tubes) to conduct simple, safe experiments. This cultivates ingenuity and creative problem-solving while promoting accessibility and sustainability. Examples include "The Power of Soap!", "Like Water and Oil!" (density), "The Teabag That Wanted to Fly" (air density).
- Connecting Science to Artistic Expression: Each scientific exploration is linked to artistic activities like painting, drawing, storytelling, and movement. For instance, after observing "Colours that Walk" (capillarity), children can paint abstract designs with the mixed colours using their fingers or brushes, or "dance" their colours on paper. After the "Rainbow in a Glass" (density) experiment, they can draw the rainbow layers and create a story for each colour. These activities develop fine motor skills and creative expression through direct manipulation and imaginative engagement.
- Fostering Critical Thinking and Safety: We guide children in questioning, observing, and describing, encouraging critical thinking. Safety and inclusion are paramount, ensuring all children can participate meaningfully in a secure and motivating environment.
2. SuperNano
SuperNano is an innovative Educational program designed to inspire vocations in all students within the exciting field of science, with a special focus on Nanotechnology.
It targets secondary school students and teachers, focusing on making complex scientific concepts accessible and engaging for everyone. While the program is inclusive of all, it maintains an intentional focus on making girls the protagonists and championing their pivotal role in scientific innovation, aligning with our broader purpose to foster the empowerment and visibility of the role of women in science.
Our Approach in Practice
- Championing Inclusivity, Empowering Women in Science: A core aim of SuperNano is to inspire and empower women in science, directly addressing gender bias in scientific fields. By featuring strong female protagonists and promoting diverse participation, we aim to show all students, boys and girls, the immense contributions women make to science, inspiring a new generation of scientists.
This methodology has been successfully applied to inspire teenagers to create superheroes with nanotechnology-based powers in past projects.
Program Structure: SuperNano consists of several engaging actions:
- Teacher Training: Providing training and a formative guide for educators in Nanotechnology and Creativity.
- Student Workshops: Hands-on Nanotechnology workshops where students develop their superheroine concepts.
- SuperNano Festival: An event for students to exhibit their created superheroines.
Our Impact
A Glimpse into Past Science Programs
We are proud of our history of delivering impactful science educational programs that spark curiosity and foster innovation.
Here are examples of projects that embodies our commitment to inspiring young minds:
- Fostering Scientific Passion in 650 kids: A program with a series of 12 workshops delivered during Science Week in Barcelona, to bring nanoscience closer to 650 primary and secondary students from various schools. The project aimed to inspire scientific vocations and enhance students' capacity to create solutions through creativity and innovation methodologies, such as Design Thinking.
- Primary Explorers: Unleashing Nano-Imagination Through Art: Students in primary education participated in an introduction to the world of Science and Nanotechnology. Through creative techniques, they expressed the concepts learned through art.
- Visualising the Challenge of Promoting Female Talent in Science: This project featured the exhibition The (IN)VISIBLE INGENUITY - Women and Technology: Past, Present and Future. The exhibition was designed to highlight the often (in)visible difficulties faced in promoting female talent within the technological field. It was held coinciding with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
- #CSIC4GIRLS: Online Workshops Inspiring & Empowering Girls in Science: This project involved providing consultancy and training in the design and execution of online scientific workshops for CSIC (Spanish National Research Council). Conducted as part of the CSIC4GIRLS project, these workshops engaged over 60 girls during Science Week, with the specific objective of fostering scientific vocations in girls.
The project was effectively carried out through co-creation sessions for workshop design, training in creativity and play techniques for knowledge acquisition, instruction in online execution tools, and the provision of a comprehensive formative guide.
