Ever noticed how curious children are? Have you noticed how much do they ask, and seriously, how many of their questions leave you with a mouth gaped open and raised eyebrows, simply because you don’t have an answer? We’re all born curious and according to Dr. Bruce Perry…
Curiosity results in Exploration.
Exploration results in Discovery.
Discovery results in Pleasure.
Pleasure results in Repetition.
Repetition results in Mastery.
Mastery results in New Skills
New Skills results in Confidence.
Confidence results in Self esteem.
Self esteem results in Sense of Security.
Security results in More Exploration…
In order to encourage children to keep the fire of curiosity alive, we’re going to collect questions that children ask about science, where a group of scientists will address these questions and answer them in a way that suits the children’s way of thinking, thereby linking children to scientists in a network and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Taghyeer Organization Launches Children’s Scientific Questions Project, which is a database of scientific questions and answers in Arabic available on the organization’s website.
The internet suffers from a lack of Arabic content for children, especially that that has to do with science. There is a number of websites that are for children and yet they might preview ads that are not appropriate for children that we would like to do without.
Children are born with a unique sense of curiosity that is vital for their growth and for learning about the world. Unfortunately, this sense diminishes as the time goes and the reasons are many; such as the educational system and the lack of sources that answer the children’s questions and inquiries. Nurturing this sense of curiosity is also important in creating a generation of scientists.
Taghyeer Organization, a Jordanian NGO, has worked in year 2014 on a unique project that tackles the aforementioned challenges. This project springs forth from the organization’s belief in the role of each individual in the change process, which is where the name of the organization, Taghyeer (meaning “change” in Arabic) comes from.
The project has started by gathering a huge collection of scientific questions from children all over Jordan; from Za’atari camp for Syrian refugees, children from villages in Irbid and children from private and public schools in different Jordanian cities. The task was carried on with the help of volunteers, teachers and schools headmistresses. A number of children have also entered their questions using an online form.
After classifying and cleansing the questions, the data was sent to an elite group of scientists who have kindly answered their questions, each according to his or her field of expertise. We have also worked with designers and web developers in order to present the questions and answers on our website in the easiest and most pleasant way for the user; children and adults alike.
The scientists have come from various Jordanian universities and also from abroad, where Dr. Leyla bin Ayed from Tunis has helped us answer a group of questions. The work the scientists have done was purely voluntary, and they were motivated by their belief in the importance of a scientist’s role in the community beyond the campus. Those scientists are not only lecturers and researchers. For this group encompasses also master students, physicians, housewives, education specialists and people from the society.
When browsing the website, the user will find the questions classified according to scientific field. The questions have also been tagged so it is also possible to look for questions per tag rather than per category. The website enables the users to add their own questions, and previews questions that need answers. This will help us develop the database.
This project is simply a core that we hope to expand. This is also an invitation to your esteemed selves to help us make this project bigger by adding more questions and answers. Using one’s own language is crucial in the development of nations, identities, and creativity especially for children. Developing and doing positive change in the community is the mission that Taghyeer Organization works on day and night, to create a generation of change makers. Such a project preserves our identity and celebrates the use of our language. We also hope that it will set a foundation upon which more similar projects will start across the Arab World.
