More information about Chemistry with Alfie Atkins
The chemistry project is a collaboration between the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre, Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, and is funded by the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation. The project aims to promote children’s interest in and understanding of chemistry. Although this subject might initially seem challenging and hard to grasp, it can be explained to children through games and activities. In Chemistry with Alfie Atkins, students in preschool and school classes meet actors and teachers as well as researchers and students from Chalmers University of Technology at the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre in Gothenburg. The project is researched by the University of Gothenburg.
Since 2015, the project has attracted more than 5,000 school and preschool students, and aims to increase children’s interest in and understanding of chemistry. We have also developed a teacher’s guide, which is distributed to all teachers participating in the project.
The idea is to stimulate children’s interest in natural science from a very early age, and for the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre to be a valuable complement to schools The project aims to create a positive idea about chemistry as a subject, offer opportunities for interaction and taster activities, and help teachers to inspire students. In the longer term, the project could help to increase the number of young people who choose to study chemistry in higher education.
The project aims to create a positive idea about chemistry as a subject, offer opportunities for interaction and taster activities, and help teachers to inspire students. In the longer term, the project could help to increase the number of young people who choose to study chemistry in higher education.
The aim is to inspire children’s curiosity, interest and confidence in the fascinating subject of chemistry through an easy-to-understand approach. We want to help the ‘children’s adults’ discover how important and fun it can be to discuss chemistry with children. The participants will learn to use certain chemical terms, models and theories to help describe and explain everyday phenomena in nature or in the human body, or common chemicals found in the home.
Free of charge
The lessons are free of charge, and are sponsored by all the participating companies. The children are welcome to stay on after the lesson and play at Alfie Atkins’ at a cost of SEK 45 per person, in which case individual booking is required via our website
If you’re a teacher accompanying a class, please order your teacher’s guide here.
Download the teacher’s guide as a scrollable PDF here.
Watch our film here.
A chemistry adventure
Chemistry with Alfie Atkins takes you on a fascinating adventure through the magical world of molecules, aided by Alfie Atkins’ curiosity about an important subject that can often be hard to understand
Research shows: Early learning initiatives are important
The Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre has an excellent way of combining play with learning and giving children opportunities to learn things at an early age, according to university lecturer Annika Åkerblom.
Watch our film
Watch parts of the performance and hear Per Thorén talk about Chemistry at the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre.
We’re delighted that you want to order our excellent teacher’s guide!
The guidance it offers is the result of a fruitful collaboration between Chalmers University of Technology and the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre, with funding from foundations. The project Chemistry with Alfie Atkins started in autumn 2015/spring 2016 and was an instant success. The lessons were quickly booked solid by preschool and school classes in and around Gothenburg.
The teacher’s guide helps you continue to teach chemistry to your school or preschool class, with lessons and experiments. We hope that the material in the guide will enable you, as a teacher, to provide your students with fun and useful lessons. We hope you enjoy your continued journey in the world of molecules.
A warm thank you to:
• the preschool and school classes who took part and helped us develop the project.
• the researchers, students, project managers, teachers and actors who contributed to the high-quality content
• the author Gunilla Bergström, who created books about Alfie Atkins
• the Hasselblad Foundation for funding the first three years of the chemistry project
• the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation for funding the chemistry project during the period 2018–2021
Order a teacher’s guide
Complete the form below to order the teacher’s guide. Then click on Send.
