Cao Zhen

caozhen0806@126.com

SHENZHEN students have broadened their knowledge of natural science and expanded their vision of the world during the finals of the Global Natural History Day (GNHD) Shenzhen regional contest held over the past weekend at the Shenzhen Museum’s History and Folk Culture Division in Futian District.

With “Seeing Small Things — Nature’s Small Perspective and Big Vision” as this year’s GNHD theme, the Shenzhen regional contest included popular science paintings and Chinese and English science storytelling by preschool to junior high school students. A total of 22 out of 297 teams were selected in Shenzhen on May 27-28 and over the past weekend. They will join the global finals in Shanghai in July.

On Sunday, more than 30 students told fairytale stories about marine life, geology, microorganisms, biology and daily safety. A four-judge panel consisting of Huang Zongxi, Wang Xiaochen and Chen Lin from the Shenzhen Museum and Xu Hualin from the Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve, questioned and discussed with the students about the natural phenomena and scientific knowledge based on their stories, such as the deep sea hydrothermal vent ecosystem and the habits of ocean sunfish and humpback whales.

The judges also suggested the students to learn more not only from books but also through visiting museums, aquariums and geological parks to observe real creatures, see fossils and broaden their horizons.

Although many students were under 12 years old, they showed confidence and calmness when asked by the judges. Zhang Yucheng, who is only 8 years old, replied smoothly to the judges when asked about different ways to put out fires caused by different reasons.

The painting competitions held May 27-28 encouraged children to get close to nature and sense the beauty of nature. In this activity, the contestants combined the art of painting with natural science knowledge to create a series of beautiful paintings with vivid informative texts.

The GNHD is a natural science extracurricular education activity initiated by Kenneth. E. Behring, founder of the Behring Global Educational Foundation, to fuel children’s passion for natural science, guide them to seek truth, and nurture their exploration and perseverance.

Regional contests are held in 18 cities across China. Since 2013, the Shenzhen Museum has organized 11 regional contests, in which local students not only learn natural science knowledge but also gain experience in individual work, team work and public speaking.