Afternoon of Discoveries for children
As a prelude to the Night of Discoveries, an Afternoon of Discoveries will be held in Leiden on 21 September for children from the age of eight. Researchers will tell exciting tales and the children will get to do experiments.
The Afternoon of Discoveries will be from 13:30 to 16:30. The activities on the programme will take place in the National Museum of Antiquities. Entry is free and there is no need to register in advance. Parents are welcome, but they must be accompanied by a child. The Afternoon of Discoveries is the initiative of the National Science Agenda.
A few highlights from the programme
Plants can be very clever when they want to survive. Biologist Iris Keizer from Leiden University will bring along a few such plants from Hortus botanicus, on the other side of the canal from the National Museum of Antiquities. By looking, tasting, feeling and answering questions, decide for yourself which clever tricks a plant comes up with.
When you’re in love, you see everything through rose-tinted spectacles. We can see from afar that a couple is in love. Leiden psychologist Iliana Samars conducts research into love. Is there such thing as love at first sight? What happens during this first encounter? Take part in this experiment and find out if you can see if people will fall in love at first sight.
It’s not just sea animals whose stomachs are full of plastic: we people eat about a bank card’s worth of plastic every week. There’s a lot of plastic in our canals, rivers, seas and oceans. It’s us who are responsible for the plastic soup that this has generated. We throw plastic bags, chip trays, cups and confetti into the water or the wind blows them in. But what kinds of things are made of plastic? And how good are you at spotting plastic? Find out, with researchers from Leiden University, how much plastic from the canals in Leiden reaches the sea.
What else it there to do?
Exciting science tales:
- Rients de Boer: Writing in cuneiform
- Merle de Kreuk: What happens to my turd?
- Christa van der Heijden: Can you control your dreams?
Other experiments and tests:
- Bart Clauwens: Talk to an alien
- Rijksmusem Boerhaave will bring various experiments and tests to the National Museum of Antiquities
- Robin de Lange: Learn in virtual reality
- Meike de Boer: Are you good at recognising voices?
Find out more on the website of the Night of Discoveries [in Dutch]. You will also see the exact times there.