Sint-Niklaas (Eurotoday Newspaper) – In Sint-Niklaas, the 2026-2027 academic year did not begin with an assembly or even the quiet introduction of the first morning. In the Freinetschool Arker Universalis, students came back to class on Tuesday, 1st September 2026, for a day filled with experiments, demonstrations, and a mini-science show with the intent of arousing curiosity right from the first bell of the day. Based on the local coverage of the news, the day was marked as a celebration of inquiry-based learning as kids from all primary levels moved from one station to another where they mixed, made, tested, and launched.
According to organizers, this event was an intentional effort to set the stage for the coming year, fitting within the framework of Freinet methodology in which learning by doing is preferred to learning by hearing. Rather than devoting the whole morning to regulations and procedures, teachers took students straight to the experimenters’ role, raising questions, making predictions, and seeing the effects.
What exactly did the pupils do during the science day?
The main activity of the day involved the conduct of a number of practical workshops where children made use of simple chemistry concepts together with basic physics and engineering principles. The kids worked in groups where they made slime by combining various household items including glue, water and cross-linking agents in order to produce flexible and colourful polymers. In addition to the chemistry booths, there were also other groups who were busy designing and launching small rockets using light weight material and safe means of launching the rockets suited for kids.
The school summed up the experience in a direct quote that has already become the headline line for local coverage:
“We made slime and flew rockets,”
staff told reporters, capturing both the simplicity and the ambition of the day.
In addition to those events mentioned above, there was also an interesting science show performed live where experiments illustrating various physical and chemical phenomena were conducted. The idea of the whole presentation was to demonstrate to kids how science works – asking a question, forming a hypothesis, and then trying to test it and discuss its implications. The main idea in the Freinet approach was not only to amaze kids but to demonstrate to them that science is something that they can be a part of.
Why did the school choose a science-themed opening day?
The Freinet method of teaching, which was invented by French teacher Célestin Freinet, centres the process of education on experimentation, trial-and-error processes, cooperation and project activity. According to this method, children will learn most effectively if they participate in practical activities relevant to their interests and life. The choice of science-related orientation day is in line with this idea, providing an immediate possibility for teamwork, solving problems and creativity.
The experiment chosen by the Arker Universalis also corresponds to a larger tendency in Flemish and European primary education towards practical STEM-related learning. In Belgium, different programs such as the annual Printemps des Sciences in Wallonia and Brussels and Science is Wonderful! organized by the EU demonstrate the idea that children can work on real scientific questions in workshops, laboratories and interactive exhibitions.
Have similar science-day events taken place before in Belgium or elsewhere?
While this specific event at Arker Universalis
Seems like they figured out that mixing glue and water is far more enlightening than a boring old assembly. Who needs lectures when you can launch rockets and make slime, eh? 🎉👨🔬 So, a school in Sint-Niklaas decided to kick off the year with slime and rockets—brilliant! Next, I suppose they’ll be teaching kids how to brew their own beer to really engage those budding scientists. 🍻🚀 Only in Sint-Niklaas would the academic year kick off with kids concocting slime and launching rockets instead of the usual snooze-fest assembly. Who needs regulations when you can have mini-scientists making a mess? 🤪 Typical Belgian ingenuity: why start with boring speeches when you can make slime and launch rockets? Who knew primary education could double as a science fair and a mini-space program? 🚀😄 Starting the school year with slime and rockets? Brilliant! Next, they’ll teach them how to launch their futures while they’re at it. 🚀🙄 Fancy a bit of slime and rockets to kick off the school year? Because nothing says “back to school” like a mini-science show—who knew education could be this thrilling? 🎉🚀 Looks like the kids at Freinet School are off to a bang, mixing slime and launching rockets! Nothing screams “serious education” quite like a day dedicated to goo and lift-off, eh? 🚀💦 Just what the world needed, a bunch of kids making slime and launching rockets, because we all know that’s the key to solving climate change, right? 😏📈 EU education at its finest, I suppose! Oh, brilliant! Nothing like starting the school year by turning our little Einsteins into mad scientists who make slime and launch rockets—who needs boring assemblies when you can have a mini-chemistry lab right out of a kids’ movie? 🚀💥 So, they kicked off the school year with slime and rockets – looks like the kids are already more prepared for the future than half the politicians in this country! 🎉🚀 A day of slime and rockets, eh? Must be the highlight of the academic calendar for these little Einsteins—who needs textbooks when you can just launch your homework into orbit? 🚀💩 Who knew the secret to a successful school year was just a bit of slime and some DIY rocketry? 🎉 I mean, why bother with the usual boring assemblies when you can launch your educational ambitions into the stratosphere? 🚀😏 Nothing says “welcome back to school” quite like a day of slime-making and rocket launching—because who needs boring assemblies when you can wear your lab coat and pretend to be the next Einstein? 🎉🧪 #SeriousBusiness Mansehra, Pakistan, 3 September (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – An Irish climber death has been confirmed in northern Pakistan after search teams recovered the body of Alexander Mark Harris from a gorge in the Siran Valley, ending a difficult operation involving more than 250 police personnel, mountaineers, forest officials and local residents. European Investment Bank €250 million EIB Global financing agreement with Banco do Brasil enables €500million in microcredit for women-led microbusinesses in Brazil’s Legal Amazon region. Geneva, 3 September (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – El Niño 2026 is expected to intensify into a very strong climate event towards the end of the year and persist until at least February 2027, increasing the risk of disruptive weather across several regions, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Birmingham, 1 September (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal’s maturity, squad strength and ability to manage difficult moments after Bukayo Saka’s second-half goal secured a 1-0 Premier League victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park. The Arteta Aston Villa reaction centred on the way Arsenal controlled pressure and found a way to win a demanding away fixture. Why Arteta Antwerp (Eurotoday Newspaper) – Motorists heading from Deurne onto the Antwerp Ring (R1) towards Ghent and Brussels will face a full closure this weekend as part of the ongoing Oosterweel connection programme.
Comments
13 responses to “Science Day Marks Start of Year at Freinet School Arker Universalis in Sint-Niklaas”
Last News
Germany’s Far Right Benefits from VW Troubles
Instead, automotive suppliers, chemical firms, and other manufacturers are facing job losses, high energy costs, and a surge in Chinese exports threatening vital industries.
These concerns are intensifying a
Irish Climber Alexander Harris Discovered Deceased After Siran Valley Mountain Search in Pakistan
Harris, 30, a dual Irish-British citizen who had bee
EIB Global and Banco do Brasil Unlock €500 Million for Women Entrepreneurs and Sustainable Development in the Amazon Region
Financing aims to reach around 50,000 women entrepreneurs, boosting women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development in the Amazon.
The initiative supports the EU-Brazil Green Deal, EU’s strategic
La Maison-Blanche incite les entreprises américaines à boycotter le sommet spatial de Macron
El Niño to Reach Powerful Peak and Increase Extreme Weather Risks – Geneva
The UN weather agency says forecasts indicate a near 100% probability that El Niño
Green Leader Zack Polanski Bids for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Polanski still requires selection by local Green Party members, expected to occur next week.
In his campaign pitch, Polanski stated, “v
Arteta Praises Arsenal’s Maturity After Victory Over Aston Villa in Birmingham
Divine Wisdom in the Old Testament: Concepts and Imagery (Part 2)
Dublin Challenges Europe’s Budget Boundaries
Meanwhile, the critical regional election
Oosterweel Works Close Deurne On-Ramp on Antwerp Ring for Weekend
The Deurne entrance will be fully blocked from Friday night September 4th, starting at 23:00, through Sunday morning September 6th, until 11:00, as announced by the traffic information an
Leave a Reply