Teaching science to the Dumagat tribe’s children
A child’s mind works in marvelous ways. At a very young age, kids develop an innate curiosity that drives them to explore their surroundings and take a closer look at everything that fascinates them.

The striking colors, the various movements, the wondrous feats—you can almost see the gears turning inside their busy brains as they continue to find ways to experience every intriguing thing they can find.

This great thirst for knowledge is something that the Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center (NFSDC), the first technology-based, highly interactive Science center in the country, firmly believes in. With highly informative, hands-on science exhibits, NFSDC offers kids and kids-at-heart a one-of-a-kind treat that gets them immersed in fun and interactive learning experiences.

Fun learning for the marginalized youth
Over the holidays, the NFSDC welcomed guests from De La Salle-Santiago Zobel, together with indigenous kids from the Dumagat tribe of Sitio Paglitao Calawis, Antipolo City, to take part in a special tour that brought the marginalized children closer to the wonders of science and technology.

“This is all part of De La Salle-Santiago Zobel’s advocacy centered on uplifting children’s rights and welfare, particularly the ones from the Dumagat tribe,” shared Ben Sazon from the DLS-Z Social Action Office. “Sitio Paglitao in Antipolo was one of the beneficiaries of our school supplies drive and through our past initiatives, we were able to provide them with school supplies, slippers, and other materials useful in school. “

As part of their Vision-Mission week (Founder’s day) celebration, DLS-Z invited children from the indigenous communities of the Dumagat tribe in Antipolo City to spend a few days in their school, play and interact with the students, and take part in a fun tour all over educational centers around Metro Manila.

“Indigenous children are among the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in the world,” Sazon added. “This wonderful opportunity has allowed them to experience science firsthand. It gave them a fun take on the stuff they’ve only read about in books and heard about in class.”

The engagement consisted of a guided tour among NFSDC’s galleries that cover a wide range of topics—from nature to chemistry, technology, astronomy, and more. The kids had fun learning all about the marvelous world of science through installations such as the Marine Adventure, Science Matters, Transportation Nation, and many others.

Upon touring, the children all got to learn how the wheels of transportation have evolved through the years and how they might look like in the distant future. They even had fun decoding the history of the different forms of communication from ancient civilizations to the present generation, while also learning more about computers, smart phones, and tablets, and even stepping inside a virtual studio to become a media host for a day.

“Apart from seeking to bring the fun in learning, we are also looking to have more and more children witness the wonders of science unfold, even those who don’t have immediate access to educational resources,” shared Arturo Carballo 3rd, senior operations manager for NFSDC. “Our heart goes out to the children from the Dumagat tribe because we believe that every child deserves to discover science, no matter where they are from.”

The Dumagat children also visited The Robot Zoo, a gallery where larger-than-life robotic animals reveal mechanisms that simulate the body parts of their real-life counterparts. Aside from the animal constructs that visitors can freely move and manipulate, interactive multi-sensory activity stations also gave children their fill of educational fun and excitement. The critters and beasts featured at The Robot Zoo include a giant squid with 18-foot tentacles, a house fly with a 10-foot wingspan, and a giraffe whose head and neck alone stretch nine-feet tall.

Lastly, the kids had a field day watching educational films at NFSDC’s Planetarium, the biggest, most advanced, and first-ever Digistar 3 planetarium in the country.

“Through our partnership with DLS-Z, we were given a chance to grant these children a fun way to discover the unbelievable marvels of the world of science, giving them healthy avenues that promote love for learning—something we hope to foster and cultivate in curious minds all over the nation,” Carballo ended.

The Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center is located at the ground floor of the Southside Entertainment Mall at the SM Mall of Asia. For more information, log on to www.sciencediscovery.ph, its Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NFSDC, or call (02) 556-0331 or (02) 556-2193.