A total of 125 children, aged between 6 to 9, from all over the country, participated in the ‘Superhero Magic Junior’ programme held in conjunction with the National Science Week 2021, recently.
The programme was organised by the ‘Magic Physics UPM’ team from the Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Department of Chemistry Malaysia.
Head of the programme, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yap Wing Fen, said the creative workshop aims to cultivate children's interest from an early age towards learning science.
He explained that it also helps provide exposure to parents on how easy it is to learn science in a fun way, even by using used or recyclable materials at home.
“The programme had received a very encouraging response from parents and active involvement from the participants. Even though it was conducted virtually, it did not affect the achievement of the programme’s objectives," he added.
The programme was based on the transfer of knowledge and expertise in science processed in the form of magic. The programme facilitators were Zahin Nazrin, Faiz Iqbal, Muhammad Fauzi, Muhamad Zulkarnai, Khaled Saufi, Muhammad Zamri, Muhammad Nazreen, Amirul Mirza and Syazanee Arfan, who are also members of the ‘UPM Physics Magic Club’.
Programme director, Zahin Nazrin Rosemadi, was grateful for the opportunity given to make the virtual volunteer programme a success.
He believed the COVID-19 pandemic situation is not an obstacle for them to run the programme successfully in conjunction with the National Science Week 2021.
“This workshop can not only provide knowledge to the participants but also help us hone our communication skills with children and parents effectively. Teamwork and leadership skills are also nurtured through the management of this workshop,” he said.
Parents also expressed their excitement over the implementation of the programme.
Herdawati Mohd Halil, the mother of a participant, Althaf Uzair, 8 years old, said the workshop was fun and entertaining for her and her son.
"We are very excited to learn something new. My son can now perform the magic he had just learned for his friends,” she said. - UPM
