BASF: 600 primary students and needy children learn about role of chemistry at BASF Kids’ Lab 2018

BASF brings interactive education program to Vietnamese kids for eighth consecutive year

Students from District 6, Bình Tân and Bình Chánh learn about the role of vitamin C on human health through fun experiments

Launch of BASF Virtual Lab to offer children online experiments

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – November 9, 2018 – BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, today kicked off the eighth annual BASF Kids’ Lab at KizCiti Edutainment Center, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). In partnership with HCMC Department of Education and Training, the event offers primary students an opportunity to learn about the world of chemistry on November 9 – 10, 2018.

Schoolkids enjoying fun hands-on experiments during the eighth annual BASF Kids’ Lab

Participants include primary students from Nhật Tảo and Trương Công Định Primary Schools in District 6, Bình Hưng and Cầu Xáng Primary Schools in Bình Chánh District and An Lạc 3, Bình Trị 2 Primary Schools from Bình Tân District. The program is also offered to children of BASF employees and customers, as well as needy children from Lucky House Social Welfare Center, Bình Tân District.

Guided by BASF employees and university student volunteers, the children conduct two fun experiments to understand how vitamin C helps improve human health.

“BASF continuously supports the local community through a variety of programs which focus on science education. BASF Kids’ Lab aims to spark interest in the natural sciences among the children from an early age,” said Tanachart Ralsiripong, Managing Director, BASF Vietnam. “Thanks to the great support from our long-standing partner of HCMC Department of Education and Training, this program has reached more than 4,000 primary students in Vietnam, helping the country to nurture future scientists. We would like to roll out this program to many other places in the future, letting more students enjoy this unique program.”

“Vitamin C Champion” experiment

The schoolchildren will work together to measure and compare vitamin C content and other substances in a variety of fruit and vegetables. This will allow them to have a good understanding of the benefits of having colorful vegetables and fruits in their diet.

“Colorful Butterfly – Fly!” experiment.

In this experiment, schoolchildren will make use of everyday materials like red cabbage, lemon and baking soda, and apply simple science theories to turn a piece of white paper into a vivid, decorated butterfly flying on their fingertips.

On this occasion, KizCiti Edutainment Center invited 50 needy children from Lucky House Social Welfare Center, Bình Tân District to enjoy the facilities in the Center and learn about various careers in real life, including pilots or firefighters. This will help children ignite their passions for learning and prepare them for future success.

Group photos of little chemists ​
 

Online launch of Virtual Lab to bring Kids’ Lab to more children

BASF has also launched the Virtual Lab, an online platform that offers children a variety of interactive chemistry experiments in Vietnamese. The first two virtual experiments are “Water Purification” and “Red Stain Devil”. The “Water Purification” experiment simulates water recycling process using simple lab materials, while the “Red Stain Devil” experiment shows how dye particles leach out of red cloth, and the working principle of color-care detergent. BASF will launch another two experiments by end of this year and the remaining five in 2019. It enables children to experience the joy of chemistry anytime, anywhere, with ease and fun.

Mrs. Huynh Thi Kim Trang, Representative from Primary Education Unit, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training giving her speech during the opening session​
 

Note to Editor:
A dedicated Facebook page has been set up for participants and interested parties to share photos and comments: BASF Kids’ Lab Asia Pacific Facebook.
About BASF Kids’ Lab
Education is the key to the future of our children, and it plays an important role in the development of society. With our Social Engagement Strategy, we want to open up learning opportunities and to encourage children's sense of discovery and teach good science methods and skills. This helps us to meet the challenges of tomorrow and to create a sustainable future. The BASF Kids’ Lab program is an interactive, fun and free chemistry education program designed for kids aged 6 to 12 years to discover the world of chemistry through simple and safe hands on experiments. The program has been brought to more than 30 countries across the globe, including China, U.K., U.S., Australia, Singapore, India and Japan. It was established in 1997 in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017.
About BASF Vietnam
BASF has been active in Vietnam since the establishment of its representative office in 1994. BASF Vietnam Limited was set up in 2009 and the company operates two production sites for construction chemicals. BASF Vietnam also maintains three sales offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang. It provides a wide range of products, including plastics, petrochemicals, construction chemicals, fine chemicals, performance chemicals, paper chemicals, and agricultural solutions. BASF sales to customers in Vietnam were approximately €328 million in 2017. BASF employed 161 people in Vietnam as of the end of 2017. Further information on BASF in Vietnam is available at www.basf.com/vn.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The more than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into four segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of more than €60 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.