Her workshop focused on \u201cMisconceptions among children and students \u2013 difficulties in constructing knowledge.\u201d<\/strong> In short, if children do not receive clear and precise explanations from the beginning, it becomes difficult for them to build new knowledge later. The examples she presented were incredibly relatable to everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most common myths is that plants breathe only at night<\/strong>. The truth? No, plants breathe continuously<\/strong>, day and night. During the day they also carry out photosynthesis, producing oxygen, but at the same time they use oxygen for their own respiration. Plants are our allies in keeping the air fresh, not our competitors. So feel free to keep a plant in your bedroom<\/strong> it will produce far more oxygen than it consumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another interesting misconception Mila pointed out is the belief that plant roots \u201cabsorb nutrients\u201d or \u201ctake in food from the soil.\u201d Children (and many adults) often think plants take ready-made food from the ground, as if they were eating from a plate. In reality, plants manufacture their own \u201cfood\u201d through photosynthesis<\/strong>, using sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water. Roots do not take in food; they absorb water and minerals \u2014 raw materials, not ready-made food. The actual food for the plant is produced later, in the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a perfect example of how a misunderstood word (\u201cfood\u201d) can create a false picture of how plants actually function. And that is exactly why it\u2019s so important to construct knowledge properly from the start, so children can understand nature in the right way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mila strongly emphasized the importance of building quality foundations of knowledge.<\/strong> If students adopt an incorrect explanation, it becomes difficult for them to understand more advanced concepts later \u2014 like building a house on shaky ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the second part of the workshop, the real search for knowledge began! Through experiments led by Assoc. Prof. Buli\u0107, we explored the invisible world of acidity, plastics, and ocean issues learning things we will remember much longer than the formula for water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first experiment involved believe it or not, red cabbage<\/strong>! It contains a natural pH indicator that changes color depending on the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. In several test tubes we mixed cabbage extract with different substances: lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, oven cleaner, and degreaser. The results? A real rainbow of colors! From pink to blue and red \u2014 each sample revealed its pH. And from there came the lesson about ocean acidification<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n As oceans become more acidic due to increasing carbon dioxide (CO\u2082), water pH decreases, making life harder for many marine organisms. Those that rely on carbonate ions to build their shells \u2014 such as mollusks, snails, and corals \u2014 are especially affected. Acidified water reduces the availability of these ions, causing shells to weaken or fail to form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To better understand this, we conducted a simple but striking experiment: an eggshell was placed in vinegar, an acid. We watched the shell slowly dissolve, releasing gas bubbles. This is similar to what happens to marine shells in acidifying oceans. Through this and similar experiments, like the red cabbage pH indicator, we realized how small environmental changes can have large and long-lasting effects on nature.<\/p>\n\n\n And then \u2014 toothpaste. We didn\u2019t expect it to be the star of the next experiment, but it surprised us! After dissolving toothpaste in water, something remained, tiny beads that did not dissolve. These are plastic particles, also known as microplastics<\/strong>. These microbeads are sometimes added to cosmetics and toothpaste for their abrasive effect, helping with mechanical cleaning. Unlike the toothpaste itself, they do not dissolve because they are made of non-biodegradable plastics such as polyethylene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These microscopic particles easily pass through wastewater treatment systems and end up in rivers, seas, and various organisms including us. It\u2019s frightening to think that something so small and almost invisible can have such a significant impact on the environment and our health.<\/p>\n\n\n Yes, microplastic can travel through water into organisms, and then up the food chain to our own plates. In everyday life, we unknowingly ingest it from cosmetics, packaging, and even clothing washed in washing machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final experiment demonstrated how microplastic bioaccumulates<\/strong> in organisms. We observed a model showing how tiny particles eaten by small organisms end up in larger ones, in fish, and eventually \u2014 on our plates. It was a quiet but powerful reminder of how connected we are to the sea and how much we must protect it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This one-day visit to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences was both an educational experience and a wake-up call. We learned that STEM is not reserved for laboratories and scientists in white coats \u2014 it is all around us: in cabbage, toothpaste, the sea, and even in a potted plant on a windowsill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assoc. Prof. Mila Buli\u0107 managed to bring science closer to us through the lens of everyday life, breaking down entrenched misconceptions and encouraging us not to take information for granted. Asking questions, investigating, comparing \u2014 that is the foundation of true learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPlant respiration and other surprises<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When red cabbage becomes a scientific detective<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nToothpaste, microbeads and microplastics on our plate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSTEM with a message: science is all around us<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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