Kids create chemistry at BASF Kids’ Lab

JERSEY CITY, NJ, and FLORHAM PARK, NJ -- BASF Corporation and the Liberty Science Center (LSC) are partnering to present Kids’ Lab, a series of hands-on chemistry workshops for children ages 6 to12 at LSC on select Saturdays and Sundays through July 12. In addition, Kids’ Lab programs will run during LSC Member Nights throughout the year.

“Kids’ Lab offers great, hands-on programs that encourage families to explore and experiment together,” said Paul Hoffman, President and CEO of Liberty Science Center. “Now in its fifth year, this partnership between LSC and BASF has helped nearly 4,200 children discover the exciting world of chemistry.”

Each lively and interactive 45-minute lab session focuses on a different concept of chemistry. This year, new labs Energy Loves Produce, Chemistry is Bananas!, Happy Hands, and Sink or Float? have been added to complement existing favorites.

“BASF is committed to helping provide science education through several important programs, because we realize that today’s students will be the innovators and leaders of the future,” said Robin Rotenberg, Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for BASF Corporation. “Our Kids’ Lab program at Liberty Science Center is just one example of how BASF encourages children to explore and discover chemistry in the world around them.”

Participants in Kids’ Lab receive a lab apron, a certificate of participation and a pouch filled with other takeaway items. Appearing on these materials is the Kids’ Lab mascot, morpH™, a cartoon-like element that can “morph” into any of the basic forms of matter – a solid, liquid or gas.

 Kids’ Lab is offered free with paid LSC admission or membership. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 201-253-1310 or visiting the box office at LSC. To learn more and to check the schedule, please visit www.lsc.org/basf-kids-lab.  

Developed by BASF to help children explore and understand the important role chemistry plays in their everyday lives, Kids’ Lab was established at BASF’s global headquarters in Germany in 1997. The program is currently available in 16 countries worldwide. Since 2010, more than 40,000 students have participated in Kids’ Lab programs throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

BASF supports several programs in North America that foster science literacy in students from grades one through 12. These programs encourage students to enjoy and pursue their interest in science and explore career possibilities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

In 2012, BASF was recognized for excellence in science education by both the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates.

For a press photo, please click on the following link:  

http://www.basf.us/pressphotos/03-04-14_KidsLabLSC.jpg

Suggested Caption: During the BASF Kids’ Lab at LSC, children become scientists for a day.

About Liberty Science Center

Liberty Science Center ( LSC.org ) is a 300,000-square-foot learning center located in Liberty State Park on the Jersey City bank of the Hudson near the Statue of Liberty. Dedicated to bringing the excitement of science to people of all ages, Liberty Science Center houses 12 museum exhibition halls, a live animal collection with 110 species, giant aquariums, a 3D theater, the nation’s largest IMAX Dome Theater, live simulcast surgeries, tornado and hurricane-force wind simulators, K-12 classrooms and labs, and teacher-development programs. More than half a million students, teachers, and parents visit the Science Center each year, and tens of thousands more participate in the Center’s offsite and online programs. LSC is the most visited museum in New Jersey and the largest interactive science center in the NYC-NJ metropolitan area.

BASF - The Chemical Company

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.4 billion in 2013. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.