Young reporters attend ocean-themed open house in Xiamen

A group of young reporters from xmnn.cn news portal of Xiamen, Fujian province, visited the Xiamen Science and Technology Museum on the afternoon of November 4th when the museum was holding an ocean-themed open house.

One of important ocean cultural events of the 2018 Xiamen World Ocean Week, the open house was launched in 2016, aiming to raise awareness of marine environmental protection amongst local people.

The young reporters first visited the ocean theme hall where they learned about the relationship between life and the oceans, how the Taiwan Strait was formed and why the antennas for research stations in polar regions are round.

Then they participated in three interesting interactive experiments with two staff members of the museum. While making a Cartesian diver, the children found out about the principle of buoyancy. While making their own virtual reality headset with fisheye lenses, they learned how fish look at the world around them. They also witnessed how sea creatures they painted came alive with the help of technology.

Most young reporters agreed that the interactive experiments were the highlight of the visit. Guo Chuning, a sixth-grader from Jinjiang city, said that these experiments were very interesting and could improve his practical abilities.

After the experimental section, they were sent to interview other visitors to find out about the importance of the open day.

A local visitor said the open day provided a great opportunity for children to explore the ocean and pursue their scientific interests.

Through observation, scientific experiment, and interviews, these young reporters increased their marine knowledge and had a great day.

The Xiamen Science and Technology Museum is a national base for popularizing marine science education. This year’s open house lasted two days from November 3rd to 4th, offering no less than 10 free lessons about the ocean, four more than usually offered.