BASF Kids’ Lab brings chemistry closer to kids in Japan

• “Keep Cool!” experiment, focusing on food and refrigeration, returns to Roppongi, Tokyo on July 26
  
• Kids’ Lab debut at Totsuka Site Summer Festival in Yokohama on July 29

Tokyo, Japan – June 27, 2016 – The annual BASF Kids’ Lab program is returning to Japan this year, aiming to introduce chemistry to children aged 6-12 in a fun, interesting and tangible way through simple and interactive hands-on experiments. The program will take place in two cities – Tokyo and Yokohama – where BASF employee volunteers will guide children and facilitate the experiments. In Tokyo, Kids’ Lab will take place on July 26, 2016 as part of the Roppongi Hills Summer Kids’ Workshop program. In Yokoyama, BASF will bring the program to the Summer Festival at its production site in Totsuka for the first time on July 29, 2016, inviting neighborhood children to participate.   

At BASF Kids’ Lab in Roppongi, kids will investigate the topics of temperature and thermal conductivity to learn more about how things “Keep Cool!” with different materials and how food refrigeration is vital in tackling global food challenges. Growing populations have posed unprecedented strain on food supply, and poor refrigeration of food during the transportation process can lead to massive food spoilage and food loss. Proper refrigeration of food therefore plays an important role in the food supply chain.

At BASF Kids’ Lab in its Totsuka site, kids will learn about pH differences and their reactions by making their own “Color Butterfly”. Kids will color the paper-butterfly with various materials at a different pH level which they can find in their daily lives, such as soap and lemon juice. The Kids’ Lab booth will be set up as one of the booths at the Totsuka Site Summer Festival, which has been held for more than 40 years for neighborhood residents.

“BASF Kids’ Lab is designed to encourage children to become interested in science at an early age. Over the years, we have developed new experiments from time to time to help kids stay curious about science and chemistry. In conjunction with our 150th anniversary in 2015, we developed the “Keep Cool!” workshops that particular help kids explore the topics of temperature and understand more about how science can tackle key global challenges. This year, we are also bringing BASF Kids’ Lab to new locations to share the magic of chemistry,” said Dr. Joerg-Christian Steck, Representative Director and President of BASF Japan Ltd.

 

About BASF Kids Lab

BASF Kids’ Lab is a program for children aged six to twelve, intended to introduce the joys of chemistry through simple and safe chemistry experiments. The program began at BASF’s headquarters in Germany in 1997, and is currently conducted in more than 30 countries worldwide. Taught by trained employee volunteers, Kids’ Lab has been held in Japan since 2003, with more than 4,000 children participating to date.

About BASF Japan　　　

BASF started doing business in Japan in 1888.  Activities cover four business segments including chemicals, performance products, functional materials & solutions and agricultural solutions. The main production sites are in Chigasaki (admixtures for concrete, construction materials), Kitatone (personal care ingredients), Totsuka (coatings), and Yokkaichi (thermoplastic polyurethanes and polymer dispersions). Admixture plants for the Construction Chemicals division are also located nationwide. BASF maintains a strong research and development presence in Japan including the BASF Asia Composite Center, established in the Yokohama Innovation Center (engineering plastics), and the Research and Development Laboratory and Application Technology Center for Battery Materials in Amagasaki. As of the end of 2015, BASF employed 1,209 employees in Japan, and achieved sales of　about €1.5 billion to customers in Japan.  For further information please visit:  www.basf.com/jp.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information at www.basf.com.