The Science Museum of the University of Navarra uses games to bring chemistry closer to schools in Navarre
"The Secret of Manya", an original idea by Doctor Cristina Sola, has visited 10 schools in Pamplona, reaching more than 450 students.
FotoCedida
/Students of IES Basoko of Pamplona play the game in class.
21 | 03 | 2022
The Science Museum of the University of Navarra, thanks to a grant from Pamplona City Council, has offered schools "The Secret of Manya", a science education project developed by Doctor Cristina Sola, whose aim is to bring chemistry closer to the younger generations in an entertaining way.
"The aim of this activity is to present the subject of chemistry as something attractive, fun and enjoyable, to encourage vocations and, in this particular activity, to make the importance of women in science visible, as the common thread is the life of Marie Curie," says Dr. Sola.
The game consists ofsolving a mystery, through scientific challenges and experiments, about a secret inheritance received from Marie Curie. "The puzzles to be solved are theoretical and practical, alternating interactive activities with augmented reality and experimentation.
This activity - aimed at students in the 4th year of ESO and 1st year of baccalaureate - takes place at the school and is led by monitors from the Faculty of Science of the academic institution. The game is made up of a total of six boxes - which can be made in groups of five people at a time - containing the different materials to carry out the activity.
Schools in Pamplona that wish to host the activity can apply via the City Council's website. For any other school in the Autonomous Community of Navarre, the request can be made via the Science Museum's e-mail address(museociencias@unav.es).
Educational "Break Out" - the use of games as a learning tool - involves a physical or mental skill and for Dr. Sola these tools have multiple benefits for students: "to review, reinforce or introduce the subject matter of a specific area; it favours group work, communication, problem solving and decision making; it fosters imagination, creativity, logical thinking and deductive reasoning; it produces high motivation, concentration, retention and learning; it develops competitiveness, cooperation and solidarity; it allows contact with new technologies".