MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, Oct. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BASF is returning to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) for the third consecutive year to celebrate National Chemistry Week, continuing its partnership with ROM and reinforcing its commitment to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education for youth.
Through a series of interactive BASF Kids’ Lab experiments, young Museum visitors and families will discover the power of science while engaging in hands-on activities designed to make chemistry fun, while sparking curiosity and creativity. In this year’s featured BASF Kids’ Lab experiment, “The Chromatography Butterfly,” ROM visitors will blend art and science using coffee filters, felt‑tip markers, and water to create colourful butterfly designs while learning how pigments separate through chromatography.
BASF Kids’ Lab will be open to Museum visitors in ROM’s Makerspace Hub over two weekends, on October 18, 19, 25, and 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Access to the BASF Kids’ Lab is included with regular admission.
In addition, BASF will welcome approximately 650 grade 3 and 4 students from across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) through ROM’s School Visits program. This includes students from 5 classrooms nominated through the BASF Kids’ Lab School Nomination Process, which invited BASF employees, partners, customers, and teachers in the GTA to nominate schools to participate in the National Chemistry Week celebrations. This year’s selected schools from the School Nomination Process are St. Monica Catholic School, Shoreham Public Sports and Wellness Academy, St. Marguerite d’Youville Catholic Elementary School, and Three Valleys Public School. Classrooms from each participating school will enjoy a complimentary full day visit to the museum, a 30‑minute extended lesson with a ROM educator in the galleries, and participation in the BASF Kids’ Lab experiment.
“National Chemistry Week is all about sparking curiosity and showing young museum visitors that science can be both fun and inspiring,” said Marian Van Hoek, Managing Director at BASF Canada. “Since starting our partnership, we have reached over 11,000 kids across the GTA, and we’re proud to continue our partnership with ROM to create meaningful opportunities for students and families. Together, we’re helping the next generation of innovators experience the magic of chemistry, ask questions, and imagine new possibilities beyond the classroom.”
“Through this innovative partnership with BASF, ROM is creating even more opportunities for students to be inspired by art, culture, and nature,” said Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. “Bringing STEAM education out of the classroom and into an active museum research setting can ignite the imagination and open many new pathways to learning.”
About BASF
BASF Canada, headquartered in Mississauga, is a subsidiary of BASF SE and an affiliate of BASF Corporation in North America. BASF has approximately over 1,100 employees in Canada and had sales of $2.6 billion in 2024. For more information about BASF Canada’s operations, visit www.basf.com/ca.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
- Young ROM visitor participating in BASF Kids’ Lab ‘The Chromatography Butterfly’