2026 STEM Workshop: Exploring Chemical Reactions and the Solar System

Program Details

WORKSHOPS

1/24/20264 min read

Introduction

On January 24, 2026, EdQuity Hong Kong partnered with DiscoverySphereHK to host an interactive STEM workshop for primary school students at the Mongkok Kai Fong Association Chan Hing Social Service Centre. The workshop welcomed 16 children for an afternoon of hands-on science, combining chemistry, astronomy, creativity, and experimentation. The session was designed for Primary 1 to Primary 6 students and ran from 3:00 to 5:30 pm.

Through two main activities, a volcano chemical reaction experiment and an exploration of the Solar System, students were encouraged not only to learn scientific concepts, but also to observe, ask questions, create, and discover how science works through their own hands.

Exploring Chemical Reactions Through a Volcano Experiment

The first half of the workshop introduced students to the idea of chemical reactions through one of the afternoon’s most exciting activities: building and erupting their own volcanoes. Using clay, students first designed and decorated their volcanoes around small containers before adding the ingredients needed for the experiment. The activity used materials including baking soda and vinegar, allowing students to observe a chemical reaction taking place right in front of them. Rather than simply watching a demonstration, the children were able to take part in the process themselves. They constructed their volcanoes, added the different substances step by step, and then watched as the mixture bubbled and overflowed like an eruption.

The activity then became an opportunity to understand the science behind what they had observed. Students learned that when baking soda reacts with vinegar, carbon dioxide gas is produced. The rapidly produced gas contributes to the bubbling “eruption” that they could see coming out of their volcanoes. An interactive quiz at the end of the activity helped students review what they had learned, including the role of baking soda and vinegar in the reaction and how pressure helps push the foamy mixture out of the volcano. Through the experiment, an abstract idea such as a chemical reaction became something the children could build, observe, and investigate for themselves.

Journey Through the Solar System

After exploring chemistry on Earth, the second half of the workshop took the children much farther, into outer space.

The session began by inviting students to imagine leaving Earth on a journey into space before introducing the Solar System as our “cosmic neighbourhood.” Students learned that the Sun lies at its centre and that eight planets, including Earth, orbit around it. Through colourful visuals and discussion, students explored the distinctive characteristics of the planets. They discovered, for example, that Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System, Venus is the hottest, Mars is known as the “Red Planet,” Jupiter is the largest planet, and Saturn is famous for its bright rings.

Learning then turned into creating. Using different colours of clay, the children were challenged to build their own Solar System, thinking about both the correct order of the planets and the distinctive features that make each one different. They were also encouraged to use their imagination by adding features such as asteroids, comets, or even their own spacecraft. This hands-on activity gave students another way to consolidate what they had learned. Instead of simply memorising the names of the planets, they had to think about their colours, relative characteristics, and place within the Solar System as they transformed their ideas into physical models.

Learning Through Exploration

The DiscoverySphereHK x EdQuity STEM Workshop gave 16 children an opportunity to encounter science through experimentation, creativity, and active participation. From watching a chemical reaction bring their handmade volcanoes to life to constructing their own models of the Solar System, students were able to move between asking questions, learning new concepts, and applying what they had learned through hands-on activities.

At EdQuity, we hope to make opportunities for exploration and discovery accessible to more children. STEM learning is not only about remembering scientific facts. It can also nurture curiosity, problem-solving, creativity, and the confidence to ask why and what if?

We are grateful to DiscoverySphereHK for collaborating with us to design and facilitate this workshop, and to everyone who helped make the afternoon possible. We look forward to continuing to create opportunities for students to learn by experimenting, imagining, and discovering the world around them.

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