As of this year Sofia has its own special, magical place where children can acquire in-depth scientific knowledge, learn to ask questions and look for answers, and to, themselves, become inventors. And all this while having fun. The place is called TechnoMagicLand.

The purpose of this centre is to kindle children’s interest in science and technologies, help them reach out to the so-called professions of the future, and, by applied methods, guide them in four specific fields:

“These are science, technologies, engineering and mathematics. In this current exposition, one third of which will be upgraded on an annual basis, we have physics, mathematics, computer science, there are the demonstrations as well – in chemistry, modern 3D technology which is something the children of today will be dealing with, and that is why they have to get used to working with them - 3D printers, 3D scanners, virtual reality,” says the man behind the project Ognyan Trayanov.

Here, children learn how to assemble a computer, how to create a computer programme, how to make an analogue signal digital, how a digital signal is compressed, they find out how metal can remember its own shape and how it can flow.

But what prompted him to create a children’s science centre? Ognyan Trayanov:

“On the one hand I was inspired and motivated by other centres of this kind in the world. But on the other, I tried to analyze the reasons why there is no interest in science and technologies, why young people are not applying to university in these spheres, or why there is no interest in professional secondary schools of this kind. That was how I came to the conclusion that we need just such a centre.”

The idea did not meet with the support of the state, it was private businesses that lent a hand. The target age group of the installations at the centre is 7-14, says Trayanov and adds:

“We expected about one third of the visitors to be adults, and two thirds – children. Imagine our surprise when we saw the two groups coming in approximately the same numbers. We even have adults coming without children. It looks like the words “children’s centre” may be rendered meaningless.”

The great variety of visitors is a major challenge that the TechnoMagicLand team has been tackling successfully. Just one example – the experience of children and their parents working together with the installations during the scientific demonstrations conducted by the centre staff. And, as Ognyan Trayanov says, our most powerful childhood memories are the memories we have of the times spent together with our parents, the times they have revealed something to us and we have experienced something together. If the children or the parents have difficulty in performing the various tasks the TechnoMagicLand installations offer, then the TechnoMagicians - the staff at the centre – will come to the rescue with their enviable scientific knowledge and people skills.

“On the one hand there are people of very different ages coming here, but also with very different levels of training. On the other hand we have to make sure we are always interactive and able to hold the attention of our visitors, but we also have to keep a high standard in terms of cognitive value. The centre must be a place where they will be enriched – with knowledge and with interests. Adding to this the challenge of making sure all experiments performed individually are absolutely safe, the job becomes an even more difficult one. But I think we have achieved a very good balance – that is what visitor feedback has been telling us,” Ognyan Trayanov says.

As of this autumn, physics demonstrations will be added to the demonstrations involving chemistry. An arsenal of 96 fascinating experiments in the sphere of physics has already been put together. And more items will be added to the exposition – in the sphere of architecture, bioinformatics, new materials, interesting new discoveries that are bound to change our lives. Because once the thirst for scientific knowledge, for discovery and for practical skills has been kindled, there are workshops and training courses here, especially adapted for different age groups, that will not let it wane.

English version: Milena Daynova