Even as we see a proliferation of fancy toy shops in the city, one visit to the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics changes your view on toys.
Even as we see a proliferation of fancy toy shops in the city, one visit to the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) changes your view on toys.
Here, children do not just play with toys, they also learn. This shows that learning scientific principles is no longer restricted to classrooms and laboratories.
Arvind Gupta, whose current workstation is at Children’s Science Centre, IUCCA, University of Pune, has dedicated almost 30 years of his life to make headway into the lives of children with these innovative scientific toys made out of waste material.
The IUCAA is an autonomous institution set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to promote growth of active groups interested in astronomy and astrophysics at the Indian universities.
IUCAA aims to be the centre of excellence within the university sector for teaching, research and development in
astronomy and astrophysics.
The range of toys at Gupta’s lab is fascinating simply because they are made from things like soft drink packs, old newspapers, film roll covers, cycle tubes, plastic bottles, pencils, batteries and magnets to name a few. Each toy is based on a scientific concept that makes science endearing.
“People dread science and that is because most of us can’t comprehend what these heavy sounding words and concepts really stand for. Twenty-five years ago, I discovered that if children see a scientific principle incorporated into a toy, they understand it better,” says Gupta, who has distributed more than 3,000 DVDs on this theme in various schools all over the country.
He feels the increasing junk produced these days is actually aiding his cause.
“The best thing a child can do with a toy is break it. In schools, children mug up definitions and formulae and spit them out in exams. But if you can show kids that a scientific principle such as the laws of motion or the principles of geometry exist in familiar daily-use objects around them, then they internalise science better and relate it to their daily lives.”
For him each child is a true scientist. He feels if you give them one idea, they will always carry it forward, modify it and take it to greater heights.
On his website, you can find hundreds of toys which he has devised, using only the cheapest materials and household waste.
You can find, for instance, a delightful centrifugal pump made from a drinking straw and a totally unbelievable way of balancing ten nails on the head of a single vertical nail, which can be rocked to show how stable the arrangement is.
It is well worth a visit even just for entertainment sake, apart from the educational value.
He has published many books in 13 different Indian languages including Hindi, English, Marathi, Kannada and Bengali to name a few. Children can also see these toys on YouTube. There have been five lakh visits to his website in just 18 months.
Children from various schools come to IUCAA every second Saturday. There are eight to nine lecture-demonstrations every year in which 1,000 children participate with their teachers.
“All the workshops are free — the only thing children need to bring along is newspapers and a pair of scissors. They take back whatever they make. Students of municipal schools and girl students are given priority,” adds Gupta.
Arvind Paranjpye, scientific officer in-charge for the Public Outreach Programme of IUCAA, has also played a vital role in
science popularisation.
“We have been conducting public outreach programmes for the last 20 years. We also prepare children for astronomy Olympiad exams. There is a special session conducted on astronomy every
Wednesday,” says Paranjpye.
Children can also be part of the sky show which is conducted every Friday. The IUCAA is gearing up for the National
Science Day which is on February 28.
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