Pugad Agham Science Experiment Workshop Turned Young Students into Transformers of Plastics
On the morning of July 22, 2023, the members of Leave a Nest Philippines conducted another one of their Science Experiment Workshops under the name of Pugad Agham, which is a Filipino translation for “The Science's Nest”. This is the second Pugad Agham on-site workshop which was implemented in the Leave a Nest Philippines headquarters located in Quezon City, and the workshop that was conducted this time was now about the topic of Chemistry, specifically plastic molding and transformation.
Five students ranging from grades 3-5 from the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) went and participated in the Chemistry workshop entitled “Plastic Transformers: Remolding Everyday Materials” where they learned about the magic of plastic transformation and remolding. The 1st experiment in the workshop involved transforming styrofoam into another kind of plastic, and turning it into a mushy type of plastic that the students can then mold into any kind of shapes they want. The students were very surprised to see that things they might encounter in their everyday lives such as styrofoam and acetone could have such a reaction when put together and recycled or molded into anything they want. The imagination and creativity of the students were then challenged during the molding session as some students made complicated molds such as a snake and an elephant or something simple such as a heart or a moon.
UPIS students doing the first experiment for Pugad Agham Chemistry involving styrofoam and acetone
Plastic molds of the UPIS students
For their 2nd experiment, the students tried to create their own plastics by mixing milk with vinegar. Instead of transforming a plastic to another plastic like the 1st experiment, this experiment involved creating their own plastics by acquiring the milk curds that were formed from the milk and vinegar mixture, and then molding it into any kind of shape they want. Unlike the styrofoam which easily dried up and hardened, this type of plastic takes time to dry up so the students brought their plastic molds with them after the workshop.
UPIS students creating their own plastics from milk and vinegar
Milk plastics created by UPIS students
Through the use of these Chemistry experiments involving transformation and remodeling of plastics, the students were ultimately taught about the importance of starting small and breaking down steps or tasks into more simpler things in order to be able to challenge something bigger. Similar to the experiments the students did regarding transformation of plastic and breaking down their steps in order to create an easier type of plastic, these experiments were then compared to real life situations and were instilled into the students to be life-long lessons so that they may be great future achievers and problem solvers. The Pugad Agham workshops works in such a way that Scientific experiments are paired with life-long learnings to simultaneously teach students about the wonders of Science education and instill in them the values needed to be able to succeed in life while doing fun and unique Science experiment workshops.
Group photo of the Leave a Nest Philippines members and the students taken after the Chemistry workshop
The Pugad Agham workshops will continue to be implemented by Leave a Nest Philippines in future days to come. To get updated to the latest Leave a Nest Philippines’ Pugad Agham workshops and other initiatives, you can follow Leave a Nest Group’s Official Facebook Page and Leave a Nest Philippines LinkedIn page. If you have any questions or inquiries regarding Pugad Agham and/or other initiatives of Leave a Nest Philippines, please reach us through this website's contact page.
Also, visit this link to read about the 1st Pugad Agham workshop about Cell Biology:
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