Troop 4: Meeting 4

Troop Leaders: Daniel, Yati, Ash

Senior Science Scouts: Ummeesh, Desmond, Khavishini, Darshwini

Troop 4 of the Petrosains Science Scouts became shutterbugs for the day! Photography was the name of the game and the clue? Well, say 'cheese'!

1. Science of Photography

The meeting began with an introduction to the science of photography. Science Scouts were introduced to photography terms like exposure, shutter speed, and aperture. Simple light physics were also discussed.

2. Photography Challenge

In groups, Science Scouts were then challenged to take 3 photos, one per category. The categories are 'People', 'Petrosains', and 'Art'. The end results were then printed and displayed for judging.

The photographs were great! The judges had a hard time selecting the winners. To find out who won, come back soon and we'll post the results up!


The Science Scouts took some time during the photography challenge to explore the Harmonograph exhibit.


Science Scout Yu Sheng happily posing for a photo!


One of the groups had a discussion just before the challenge began.


Science Scout Loshene braved the hurricane simulator to get a photo!

Meeting 4 Sneak Peek

We have something fun planned for you this Saturday! Here's a clue:


And no, it's nothing to do with mice!

Science Scouts, we need your help!

To all Petrosains Science Scouts, Petrosains will be having an exciting June School Holiday Program that will happen soon. We can't reveal to you the details but we do need your help to prepare for it!

We are currently collecting used and unwanted toys to be used for some of the activities. If you have any toys that you no longer want, bring them over during the meetings. It will help us a great deal and you'll be contributing to Petrosains' efforts to communicate and share science with all of our visitors!

If you would like to send us the toys, here's what we need (and don't need):

1. Toys can be figurines, action figures, models, etc. They can even be broken or not functioning, we can still use them!
2. Be sure you do not want them as you will not get them back.
3. Do ensure that the toys are clean.
   
4. We do not want soft/stuffed toys though, so please don't bring these!

We are collecting the toys on the following meeting dates: 24 April, 8 May, and 22 May. Do keep the dates in mind!

And for Science Scouts in Troops 1, 2, or 3 who have toys to contribute, we would like to invite you to attend any one of these meetings! It's our way of saying thank you for the effort so let us know in advance what meeting date you would like to come to both drop-off your toys and to join in the meeting session.


Thank you in advance to everyone! Be sure to check with your parents before you send us the toys (maybe your Mom or Dad has other uses for it).

Finally, we will not show anyone what you bring so please don't worry about bringing toys from your siblings, cousins, or friends. (Ash after all is donating his old 'Ken' doll complete with a matching convertible, sshhh!)

April Challenge

We're celebrating Earth Day on April 22 here at Petrosains. The Earth, as all of you know, is the beautiful life-sustaining planet that we all call home! Here are some Earth fast facts:

Age: 4.6 billion years old.

Position: 3rd planet from the sun.

Size: 5th largest planet in our solar system.

Surface Area: 197 million square miles, about 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered with water.

Diameter: The Earth has an average diameter of 12,742 kilometers. (7,926 miles).

Average Temperature: The temperature at the Earth's core is estimated to be between 5000 and 7000 degrees Celsius.

Length of Year: 365.25 days

Inclination of Axis: The Earth's axis has a tilt of about 23 ½ degrees. It is this tilt which causes the seasons.

Chemical Composition: The Earth is made mostly of iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, nickel and sulfur: 34.6% Iron, 29.5% Oxygen, 15.2% Silicon, 12.7% Magnesium, 2.4% Nickel, 1.9% Sulfur, 0.05% Titanium.

Source: http://www.earthfacts.net/

The facts and figures may not sound very exciting but all you need to do is look around you and you can see the everyday wonders of our planet. From the vast biodiversity (the Earth is home to many different animals, plants, and other living things!), the dynamic weather, and the rich culture that we practice, our home is a wondrous planet and there's none like it in our solar system.

However, all life on Earth is threatened by some of the things that we do. Pollution from our cars and factories, thrash from all the things we buy then throw away, loss of forests and jungles to build cities and homes; we have done a lot to damage our planet but it's not too late to save it.


For April, you have a chance to earn the PLANET PROTECTOR badge by telling us how you protect the planet Earth! Tell us what you have done in the past, are currently doing, or plan to do to help save our planet.

Be creative, show us photos or videos, draw us a picture, and tell us your stories! Submissions can be by email or by hand from now till end of April.


Good luck and let's make everyday Earth Day!

Troop 4: Meeting 3

Troop Leaders: Daniel, Ain, Yati, Ash

Guest Facilitators: Ayu, Iqbal, Wida

Senior Science Scouts: Zharif, Ummeesh, Azhary, Shaz, Desmond, Khavishini, Jasraj, Darshwini

Troop 4 of the Petrosains Science Scouts had a magnetic third meeting with guest facilitators Ayu, Iqbal, and Wida. We also celebrated Senior Science Scout Ummeesh's 13th birthday! Read on below for more details, photos, and a short video.

1. Ice Breaking

Ayu led a simple but fun ice-breaking activity where the Science Scouts could volunteer to share a little about themselves but with a catch; they must keep on talking while they slowly move their fingers through a ribbon. With the ribbons made available in varying lengths, some Science Scouts found themselves having to share a whole lot more than intended! It was nice learning more about our Troop 4 members though.


Troop 4 in rapt attention at the beginning of the meeting.

Science Scout Li Xuan bravely volunteering to go up and share!


Science Scout Adam regaling the Troop with his life story.

2. Electromagnetic Fishing Rod

Ayu led the construction of an electromagnetic fishing rod by first supplying all Science Scouts with wooden dowels, wooden chopsticks, a paper cup, wires, batteries and holder, and a solenoid. In groups, everyone was shown how to build it step-by-step while learning about the science behind electromagnetism. Troop 4 had the support of the Senior Science Scouts and the Troop Leaders and all the fishing rods were successfully built on-time and displaying a wealth of creativity!

At the end of the meeting, the Science Scouts had a go at trying to fish with their newly made rods, earning points for 'Investigating Technology' along the way!

Guest Facilitator Ayu giving the introductory briefing.


Science Scout Yu Sheng had help with his build.


"Yes, we have the battery holder!"


It's fishing time as Troop 4 surrounds Ayu and the makeshift 'pond' with their rods.


Here's a short video with meeting snippets:

Meeting 3 is on 10 April, this Saturday!

Troop 4! Your third meeting is on this Saturday, April 10. Get ready for an 'attractive' and 'polarising' experience! No prizes for guessing what we'll be doing :)

Do be on time. Your Troop Leaders and our guest facilitator are looking forward to welcoming all of you again.

Note: Senior Science Scouts, do let us know if you're coming so we can add you on our roster.



Coming soon: March challenge winner announcements and the April challenge!