Issue 5 | Spring 2026

Going forward, we will be posting these at the start of each week. This will give you a sneak preview of what your kids will be learning in the days to come and provide you with time to prepare for an enthusiastic science chat with them on the drive home.

So here's what we have in store for your future scientists this week...

EVERYDAY

MYSTERIES

How can insects and even geckos walk up walls and hang upside down? This week, we will uncover a mystery where size truly matters. When you’re small and light, gravity takes a back seat, allowing other forces to shine, such as electrostatic attraction. Through charged balloons, bending streams of water, and even electrified oobleck, our scientists will explore how tiny forces can create surprising effects. These weak attractions, known as Van der Waals forces, allow insects to stick and unstick with ease. By increasing surface area, just like Blu Tack pressed onto a wall, these creatures maximise their grip. It turns out that walking on walls isn’t magic after all, but a clever use of forces we rarely notice.

A FANTASTIC

VOYAGE WITHIN

Last week, we followed food through the digestive system, and this week, we will uncover the chemistry that makes it all possible. To break food down into molecules small enough to enter the bloodstream, our bodies rely on enzymes, special catalysts that speed up chemical reactions. From starches turning into sugars to proteins breaking into amino acids, our scientists will explore how these invisible helpers unlock nutrients from food. By tasting crackers that transform from bland to sweet, creating apple juice with enzymes, and stopping jelly from setting with fresh pineapple, we will see enzymes in action. With colour-changing reactions and hands-on experiments, it will become clear that digestion isn’t just physical, it’s a carefully orchestrated chemical process that fuels our bodies from the inside out!

CHEMISTRY IN

PLAIN SIGHT

Our kitchen cupboards are often full of nasty chemicals, from bleaches to peroxides, but can we use scientific knowledge to clean in a more skin-friendly fashion? Acids, bases and foaming CO2 can break down, lift and saponify grease and oils without the nastiness. No wonder baking soda and vinegar seem to be a panacea for all cleaning conundrums. The students will test and explore these reactions before proving the benefits of these softer chemicals by using the same science to produce a luxurious bath bomb!

Issue 4 | Spring 2026

We hope you all had a great return to school this week! We certainly enjoyed welcoming back so many of you. :)

Here is what your future scientists were up to last week…

EVERYDAY

MYSTERIES

Why does a fizzy drink explode into a sticky mess when shaken and opened? Last week, we tackled this bubbling mystery by uncovering what makes drinks fizzy in the first place! By forcing carbon dioxide into water under high pressure, we created a delicate balance in which the gas remains dissolved until that balance is disturbed. When shaken, tiny bubbles form throughout the liquid, creating countless nucleation sites where gas can escape. Twist off the cap, and with the sudden pressure drop, the gas rushes out all at once! From sparkling water to the classic Coke and Mentos reaction, our scientists unleashed fountains of fizz and discovered that sometimes, the key to avoiding a mess is simply patience- giving those bubbles time to settle back down.

A FANTASTIC

VOYAGE WITHIN

There is only one real way into the body: through the digestive system. Last week, our explorers followed the journey of food from mouth to… well, the very end. Starting with teeth that cut and grind, we discovered how digestion begins as a mechanical process, turning food into a manageable paste with the help of saliva. Then, muscles take over, squeezing food along the alimentary canal in a wave-like motion called peristalsis. Inside the stomach, enzymes & acid continue the breakdown, before a long trip through the intestines, where nutrients are absorbed, and the leftovers are prepared for exit. By transforming bread into “fake poo,” our scientists recreated this entire journey, discovering that digestion is less about what goes in and more about what the body chooses to keep.

CHEMISTRY IN

PLAIN SIGHT

Oil and water may famously refuse to mix, but last week our chemists discovered that chemistry has ways around such stubbornness. By exploring emulsions, we uncovered how substances that normally separate can be persuaded to combine into smooth, stable mixtures. Heating milk and adding vinegar revealed that milk is far more than a simple liquid! It is a carefully balanced emulsion of water, fats, and proteins. With soap and colourful milk, we watched these hidden fats scatter and swirl as surface tension broke apart before our eyes. Finally, by making ice cream, our scientists saw how the same chemistry gives frozen treats their smooth and creamy texture. From milk to mayonnaise to ice cream, emulsions are all around us- hiding chemistry in plain sight!

Issue 3 | Spring 2026

With in-person learning resuming this week, we would like to wish all our students a great return to school.

Our Modules at the Lab are off to a flyer with some exciting learning taking place. And our Home Workshops are also proving to be a big hit too.

If you are interested in hosting one of these, you can find out more details about these here.

EVERYDAY

MYSTERIES

On a cold day, our breath suddenly appears before us in a misty cloud, but where does it come from? To solve this mystery and many others, we turned to clouds and discovered they are not gases, but tiny liquid water droplets in the air. Even when we can’t see it, water is constantly evaporating into invisible vapour. When warm vapour meets cold air or a cool surface, such as a mirror, after a hot shower, it condenses into visible droplets. By breathing onto mirrors and creating clouds in a jar, our scientists watched this transformation happen before their eyes. With the help of dry ice, we filled the lab with rolling fog, showing how clouds form and float. What seemed like separate mysteries all come together in one simple idea: condensation.

A FANTASTIC

VOYAGE WITHIN

Last week, we got under the skin to uncover the muscles and bones that lie beneath. Together, they form the musculoskeletal system, giving our bodies both structure and movement. By examining our skeleton, we discovered why having many bones (206 to be exact!) allows us to move freely rather than stiffly. From hinge joints to ball-and-socket joints, our students explored how bones connect and enable everything from simple bends to full rotations. But bones don’t move on their own; muscles pull the strings. By observing muscle tissue and building a hydraulic arm, we saw how muscles contract and relax in pairs to create movement. Strength, flexibility, and motion all come from this incredible partnership!

CHEMISTRY IN

PLAIN SIGHT

Potions are all about mixing, but some substances seemingly refuse to play ball and remain staunchly independent! The students got molecular as they sought to understand the science behind why oils and water don’t mix! Astonishingly, this same science allows life to build cells. A game of hydrophilic and hydrophobic heads and tails drives these barriers, which can cause serious issues, from simple greasy hands to environment-damaging oil slicks. Then, they used their knowledge of chemistry to create a fragrant solution to these problems.

Issue 2 | Spring 2026

Thank you for the great response to our first newsletter of the term, as well as our Home Workshops. They are the perfect way to enjoy Curiosity Lab’s unique blend of hands-on science and wonder during these unprecedented times from the safety and comfort of your home.

If you are interested, you can find out more details about these here.

EVERYDAY

MYSTERIES

We continued exploring the mysteries of light and colour by asking, “Why are white things white?” It may seem a simple question, but there is more to it than meets the eye! Take, for example, soap bubbles - even though the soap used is brightly coloured, the bubbles themselves are white. Once again, we discovered that scattering is the keyword here! But, as our experiments with white lab coats and hydrochromic ink revealed, white things tend to get transparent when wet. This led us to explore refraction and bend light so much that we turned glass truly “invisible”. Finally, we warmed up our throwing arms and headed over to our photon-energy level firing range to explore colour and transparency at a subatomic level.

A FANTASTIC

VOYAGE WITHIN

Our voyage through the human body started at our largest organ, the skin. After taking a closer look at our own skin under microscopes, we delved into its main purpose: keeping our insides inside while the germs outside are kept at bay. Using water balloons filled with red dye and pierced cherry tomatoes left to rot, we explored the necessity of skin. Next, we tested another awesome aspect of the skin, its role as a sensory organ. By testing different parts of our bodies, we discovered where we have the greatest sensitivity to touch before soaking our hands in water of varying temperatures to understand how it performs thermoception.

CHEMISTRY IN

PLAIN SIGHT

We are surrounded by light, from the Sun to candles to bulbs, but can we make light using chemistry alone? Fire, a famous oxidation reaction, is exothermic, but can we find a safer, less heat-fuelled solution? The animal kingdom can paint magnificent scenes through bioluminescence. Our scientists, however, achieved the same with some chemiluminescence, the process that adds the glow in glow sticks. By combining luminol - a chemical with a penchant for light - with a dash or a drop of catalyst, we filled our dark lab with ethereal light!

Issue 1 | Spring 2026

Welcome to the first newsletter of the term!

Each week, you will find a short write-up on each Module’s lessons so that you can have some great science chats with your future scientists.

We hope you find it fun, informative, and helpful!

You will also find news about important upcoming events to keep you in the loop on what’s going on at the Lab. Like, the Home Workshops we are now offering!

These are the perfect way to enjoy Curiosity Lab’s unique blend of hands-on science and wonder during these unprecedented times from the safety and comfort of your home.

We are also offering Online Workshops covering topics in line with school curricula, packed with our trademark jaw-dropping demos and exciting experiments the kids can safely do at home.

Get in touch to find out more about these latest offerings.

EVERYDAY

MYSTERIES

The everyday mysteries begin to unfold with the most frequently asked science questions: Why is the sky blue? And, while we are at it, how are rainbows made? After using special glasses to split white light and reveal the spectrum of colours within it, we fired lasers to explore how spherical raindrops do the exact same thing with sunlight. Then, by shining white light through water tinted with a splash of milk, we recreated our atmosphere’s scattering of blue light that gives us blue skies. Finally, we turned a CD into a spinning top that not only reveals the rainbows all around us, but also demonstrates the magic of colour mixing.

A FANTASTIC

VOYAGE WITHIN

Before we explore how we function, we need to see what we are made of. That’s why our voyage through the human body started at its most basic building block, the cell. It takes around thirty-five trillion cells to make the human body, so delving into their tiny world required the power of microscopy. With the help of different stains and ever higher magnifications, we dove deep into the world of plant and animal cells, before climbing up the hierarchy of our bodies, where cells create tissues and tissues work together to create organs!

CHEMISTRY IN

PLAIN SIGHT

We got off to a glowing start, exploring the world of fluorescence - that otherworldly glow given off by certain chemicals when exposed to UV light. After discovering the fluorescent potential of a whole host of household chemicals, we diluted fluorescein - a key ingredient in highlighters - to create a glow-in-the-dark potion with beautiful, neon-green tendrils. Then, it was time to find fluorescence in the most unexpected place. We blended up a spinach smoothie to extract its chlorophyll and distilled a green liquid that glowed pink!

Home Workshops

Enjoy Curiosity Lab's unique blend of science and wonder from the safety and comfort of your home.

Gather a group of your friends, choose from a selection of workshops packed with our most popular experiments, and set the stage for a visit from our awesome teachers and all their jaw-dropping science.

50 minute workshop | AED 1000 (up to 5 kids)

• Workshops are suitable for ages 4 to 14

• Additional children will be charged at AED 150 per child

• All prices are subject to VAT

For more information and bookings, please get in touch.

Issue 9 | Winter 2026

After all the wondrous science we have had the privilege of sharing with your children this term, that wasn’t quite the end we were expecting. We are sorry so many of our students didn’t get the chance to see how their Modules played out, but it was far more important for all of us to follow the advice of the government and operate with an abundance of caution.

Thanks to the strength of the UAE and its leadership, we remain hopeful that these dark days will pass soon and that we will be able to pick up where we left off and make your children fall deeper in love with science. Until then, stay curious, and importantly, stay safe.

COOKING UP SCIENCE

Of all the culinary arts, baking is the one that most resembles science. Through changes in ratios and technique, baking takes the same key ingredients and transforms them into all those tempting treats on display in bakeries. Last week, we explored the science in baking for ourselves by conducting the tastiest experiment ever: baking chocolate chip cookies! By changing the ratios of things like flour, eggs, sugar, butter and baking powder in our cookie dough, and then comparing it to some perfect control cookies, we discovered what each of these key ingredients brings to the table.

PLANET EARTH, ANIMATED

As far as we know, the universe is a vast, sterile desert in which our planet is the only oasis of life. And even a cursory exploration of the fossil record reveals just how vibrant this oasis has been throughout its history. After getting up close to our fossil collection, filled with specimens from dinosaurs, trilobites, ammonites and marine life, we searched for our very own pieces of the past. Once the dig site was carefully excavated, we assembled the fossils we unearthed and cast souvenirs to remind us of our place in the Earth’s long history.

RAMPANT REACTIONS

Last week, things got electric as we broke down chemicals by passing a current through them. So long as the chemical conducts electricity, we can use electrolysis to decompose it. After exploring charges, ions and electrodes, we discovered what exactly makes a material conduct before we split H20 into its H’s and O’s. After these combustible gases popped and settled, we decided to give steel a makeover. By choosing the right electrodes and electrolytes, we electroplated boring-looking objects with the lustrous shine of copper!

Issue 8 | Winter 2026

Our Spring Camp is filling up, and we only have a handful of Super Early Bird discount codes left. Sign up here with the code SC20 to get an additional 20% off the week!

COOKING UP SCIENCE

For most of our past, the warmer months were times of plentiful harvests, and the colder months were times of scarcity. To spread the calories throughout the year, humans need to find ways to keep the decomposers at bay and extend the shelf life of foods.  This week, we will prepare our pantries for the winter by making a brine to pickle cucumbers. While its acidity and salt deter all microbes, fermentation is less strict. Here, we create the conditions for certain beneficial microbes to proliferate and protect our food for us. Like the yeast we will use to create the very inedible Elephant Toothpaste reaction!

PLANET EARTH, ANIMATED

Hidden deep within cells are the instructions that enable an organism to form and function. In simpler lifeforms, this genetic material is “written” in RNA, but we humans have DNA, its double-helical upgrade. This week, we will explore how DNA encodes for genes, copies itself, and passes that information from one generation to the next. And as we do this, we will break down the cells of a strawberry, extract its genetic material, and isolate its DNA for all to see.

RAMPANT REACTIONS

Anyone who has noticed the fading of cherished photos knows that light can decompose. Ironically, this process made photography possible in the first place. By coating paper with a chemical particularly susceptible to light and then hiding it beneath a negative while the Sun’s UV light works its magic, our chemists will create their own old-timey photographs. Waiting for these to develop will give us plenty of time to explore UV’s glow with fluorescent potions, inks and more!