Abstract:

INFN Kids is a project of the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) dedicated to the dissemination of science, physics in particular, for children in the age range from 6 to 13. The extensive program of the INFN kids project ranges from school workshops, participation to cultural events and science festivals. Our focus on cultural events includes workshops and scientific readings held in public libraries. We present here the outcomes of two series of workshops conducted in collaboration with the Municipal Library of Spinea (Venice, Italy) during spring and winter of 2024.

The spring series' theme was 'Matter, Earth and Space', with four workshops designed for different age groups. The priority was placed on hands-on activities for age groups up to 8 years, while we increased the demonstration and explanation part for groups from 9 years onwards. In particular, we proposed for the first time a workshop for preschool children (age 3 to 5 years). The proposed activity was to guess what objects were hidden in a special mystery box using touch, smell, and hearing. This is a fun and interactive way to introduce the “scientific method” to very young children and starting to explore the different states of matter with the concepts of soft/deformable and hard/rigid.

The winter series, named “Christmas with Science”, consisted of three different workshops dedicated to mixed age groups. The aim of each activity was to produce a “scientific” handcraft to decorate the Christmas tree at the entrance of the Library. We started by reproducing a snowflake with paper and scissors, then we went deeply to the heart of matter building simple models of molecules and atoms.

In both series, each workshop started with an expressive reading of an introductory text on the chosen topic, directly involving the audience and preparing them for the next activity. We noted that children's direct involvement in reading, leads them also to actively participate to the hands-on and discussion part.

This initiative, which involves a research body and a public institution, offered a unique chance to establish a network with the territory to share scientific knowledge and its impact.

The presentation will cover the outcomes of the two workshop series and explore potential solutions to improve the integration of the reading part with the hands-on activity, as well as to expand the collaboration with local public institutions.

Keywords:

Education, hands-on workshop, science reading, sharing scientific knowledge, territory networking.