Magic Fish - a very special science kit

Today, children are bombarded with stimuli. They learn a lot in a short time. In the market toys compete with each other to grab the attention of children. Computer games are often remarkably successful in grabbing and maintaining attention through continuous cascades of stimuli that maintain tension and encourage quick, almost instinctive responses.  The reward is immediate and continuous coming every few seconds (hitting the enemy, attaining a position etc). Instant goals are satisfied one after the other, without serving a higher purpose, other than achieving a high score. Violence and violent death (direct or indirect) are often the poles of attraction and even addiction and trap the child in an imaginary world of adventure without ethics. The behaviour that is encouraged from these games is not only irrelevant, but often hostile to their immediate environment (family, friends, social life and our ecosystem).

Research still debates how bad the outcomes really are. In this competitive area, there is little room for educational games that nurture good habits and behaviour and help the child develop skills that require time and patience, skills that are important throughout our lives and especially so in today’s society. As parents and as a society we would like to direct our children towards hobbies and games that cultivate in depth their cognitive and intellectual world within the right ethical framework. We would like hobbies and games that cultivate the love for life, caring for the weak and protecting all forms of life. We would like hobbies and games that cultivate the appreciation for the conditions necessary for life for each organism, and their needs for space and social growth. We would like hobbies and games that cultivate observation, methodological collection of data and their systematic organization and analysis for proper scientific analysis that would lead to true and valid results. We would like hobbies and games that cultivate team effort, within the family or class, and the free exchange of ideas and opinions. Finally, we would like hobbies and games that show that organized groups, the family, the school and society in general when they function normally allow the child to grow and develop a healthy mind in a healthy body. Our company’s department Παιγνίδι Τέρψη Γνώση (Play, Joy and Knowledge) in its effort to satisfy those needs has adapted a unique educational game for Cyprus, the Magic Fish. 

Magic Fish is a new scientific game. It is the perfect educational gift suitable for all occasions. By following simple instructions, you can hatch and breed your own fish in your own home. With the use of advanced biotechnology, rare fish’s eggs are kept in special bags and are ready to hatch. So, the process from hatching to growth until the final mature fish can be observed closely. The miracle of life is thus accessible in a fun way. This activity can be the center of a family hobby with the child at the center of loved ones (brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents). This experience can also be evolved into an excellent educational process and a first research attempt with tangible results and serious consequences (regarding the survival and health of the magic fish).

The Magic fish can be used by each child individually or as part of a family activity. It is particularly suitable as a supplemental for lessons during class. The class can be separated into groups of 3 or 4 children, with classes 2-3 times a week for a trimester. Moreover, the lessons can involve a separate individual hatching for each child at home. Our company offers its own classes for children ages 10-14. Our lessons are developed in such a way so that they can become a child’s first research experience that could lead to satisfaction through success that is earned by careful work and sustained effort, the kind of reward that life delivers, brought about by the completion of patient work.

Our company also offers seminars and a series of lessons to teachers about how lessons with Magic Fish can be organized in schools. We also offer educational services in schools, organizing lessons with particular emphasis in subjects that the school is interested in developing, by using the Magic Fish as a vehicle for teaching these subjects. The subjects can be purely methodological, targeting the technical and practical skills in scientific research. It could also be the cultivation of observation and scientific creativity. The lessons could also focus on developing skills useful for teamwork, team spirit and free communication of ideas. The lessons could also highlight the need for constant care and help the child associate the role they played in breeding the fish with the role of their parents and school in helping them grow and achieve great things.