Abu Dhabi: A group of children dressed in hard hats and safety vests listened carefully to some engineering concepts, then worked carefully to erect a wall.
Next door, other young minds watched metals change colours under a flame gun, before heading off to build models of an oil rig.
These and many other colourful activities are set to attract hordes of children to the fourth edition of the well-loved Abu Dhabi Science Festival, which kicked off in its three venues across the UAE on Thursday.
Held with the aim of attracting children between the ages of 5 and 15 years to scientific and technological careers and fields of study, the festival this year expects to reach out to even more people during its ten-day run.
“Last year, the festival saw 150,000 visitors. Since we now have festival activities not only in the capital but also in Sharjah and Al Ain for the first time, we expect much stronger attendance figures this time around,” Linda Silver, associate director for content, science and technology promotion with Festival organiser, the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC), told Gulf News.
“While we will continue to see school visits every weekday until 4pm, we are also focused this year on offering a lot of activities for families, and children who come by with their parents in the evenings,” she added.
As in past years, 60 per cent of the content and workshops available in the capital-based Abu Dhabi Corniche venue are new, although old favourites are returning, including the popular ‘Dig Up a Dinosaur’ activity that exposes children to archaeological and paleontological methods. Other content that has proved popular in previous editions is being offered to visitors who attend the Festival at the Al Ain Zoo, or Sharjah’s Al Majaz Waterfront.
In addition, nearly 45 per cent of the content on offer this year has been developed by UAE-based organisations and companies. Silver explained that this makes the festival much more sustainable in the long run.
“Not only is the content more relatable to children but the fact that UAE entities are interested in designing and offering workshops and activities means that we need to rely less on externally-sourced material,” she said.
For example, Abu Dhabi emirate’s environmental watchbody, the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi, is offering a host of workshops to teach children about water conservation. Meanwhile, the UAE’s nuclear energy provider, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, has set up tasks to teach children about nuclear fission and the various forms of energy.
While tickets can be pre-booked online, Silver encouraged families to come by during weekday evenings, especially as workshops and shows are filled to capacity during weekends.
The Festival is held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
