BASF Kids’ Lab brings joy of research and discovery to children in Japan

• Kids’ Lab returns to Totsuka Summer Festival in Yokohama on July 27; Tokyo on August 24
• Facilitation for children with hearing disabilities offered at Tokyo session

Tokyo, Japan – July 10, 2018 – BASF will help children aged 6-12 to experience the joy of research and discovery through hands-on, fun-filled chemistry experiments at Kids’ Lab. This annual program will take place in two cities – Tokyo and Yokohama – where BASF employee volunteers will guide children as they conduct experiments. In Tokyo, Kids’ Lab will be held on August 24, 2018, as part of the Roppongi Hills Summer Kids’ Workshop program. In Yokohama, BASF will again bring the program to neighborhood children at the Summer Festival at its production site in Totsuka on July 27, 2018.

“Clever Foodies” in Tokyo

Following the success of the 2017 program, BASF will continue the experiment program “Clever Foodies” at Kids’ Lab in Roppongi, Tokyo. This program was developed globally in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of BASF Kids’ Lab. This program focuses on a topic that affects us all: how can good food contribute to a healthy lifestyle? With the use of hands-on exploration, the program helps children investigate the substances contained in foods and beverages, and to understand the benefits of eating a colorful range of vegetables and fruit. This topic is linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): “End hunger and achieve food security” (Goal 2), “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all” (Goal 3), and “Quality education” (goal 4).

To provide better access to learning opportunities among a diverse community, facilitation for children with hearing disabilities will be offered at the session in Tokyo. Along with personal and technical communications assistance, children will also be supported by BASF employees with similar disabilities.

“Paper Chromatography” Experiment in Yokohama

At BASF Kids’ Lab at the Totsuka site, another experiment will be offered: children will identify individual constituent components contained in the dyestuffs in a felt-tip pen, which can be separated using a chromatographic separation process. In the experiment, rings of various colors appear on the paper.

A Kids’ Lab booth will be set up as one of the booths at the Totsuka Summer Festival, which has been held annually for neighborhood residents for more than 40 years. 

“BASF Kids’ Lab is designed to encourage children’s thirst for exploration,” said Hiroki Ishida, Representative Director and President of BASF Japan Ltd.  “We hope that our program will enable children to find research and scientific discovery beneficial and enjoyable.”

About BASF Kids’ Lab 

Education is the key to the future of our children, and it plays an important role in the development of society. With our Social Engagement Strategy, we want to open up learning opportunities and to encourage children's sense of discovery and teach good science methods and skills. This helps us to meet the challenges of tomorrow and to create a sustainable future.

The BASF Kids’ Lab program is an interactive, fun and free chemistry education program designed for kids aged 6 to 12 years to discover the world of chemistry through simple and safe hands on experiments. The program has been brought to more than 30 countries across the globe, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Singapore, India and Japan. It was established in 1997 in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The program has been introduced to Taiwan since 2007, benefitting more than 11,000 children.

Taught by trained employee volunteers, Kids’ Lab has been held in Japan since 2003, with more than 4,500 children participating to date.

About BASF in Japan

BASF has been a committed partner to Japan since 1888.  Activities cover four business segments including Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions and Agricultural Solutions. BASF has 24 production sites, including 16 admixture plants of the Construction Chemicals division. In addition, BASF maintains a strong research and development presence in Japan with its facilities in Amagasaki, Yokohama, Chigasaki, and Naruto. As of the end of 2017, BASF employed 1,087 employees in Japan, and achieved sales of about €1.7 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 more than 115,000 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 €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.