Inspiring initiative, Open Schooling

Physics in the playground!

The Bloomfield Science Museum of Jerusalem aims to transform its visitors into active citizens. Through the Make it Open project, they involved the students from IASA secondary school in a citizen adventure with scientific and community goals.

The students, led by their physics teacher Navit Houri, planned a physics experiment using the playground equipment nearby their school. The goal was to offer an enriched experience to the children and the families that come to play in this central living place.

After exploring the issue and with the contribution of architects, landscapers, designers and science communicators, they decided to create scientific labels and short videos to transform the park into a scientific playground for everyone to enjoy.

The first lucky ones who enjoyed it were the students from the Guatemala elementary school of Jerusalem – a school in the same neighbourhood. The young students tried out the playground’s equipment while the older introduced them with physical facts, using the labels they created and displayed in the park.

This experiment will lead the path to others, transforming the way how schools are perceived by their communities. Through Make it open, schools will be transformed into actors of the community well-being, serving the community with the great educational and developmental resources they own and create. The project also aims to broaden the horizons and to encourage schools to use their communities for learning opportunities, boosting the students’ interest in learning science.