Embodied Science Stories

Things are always happening. The world is changing quickly. Everyone seems to be in a hurry. But even when we are jumping from one thing to another and from one place to another, there are still times when we have to wait. Sometimes, even a short wait can feel very, very long —like it will never end.

Waiting can be hard. It can test our patience and sometimes make us feel lonely. But hidden inside these waiting moments are little sparks of joy. They give us time to discover more about ourselves, enjoy playful moments, and notice the wonderful science all around us every day.

One such evening, such a moment was about to unfold. The school bell rang, and all the students rushed to pack their bags and ran towards the school buses that would take them home. Kavita, a grade 5 student, finished writing her notes and picked up her bag. She was to meet her older brother and younger sister near the security office where their father would pick them up. Kavita’s father was on a sabbatical and hence had decided that he would drop and pick them up from school instead of them taking the school bus. Generally, Kavita’s father would be right one time, or sometimes even early.

When Kavita bid her friends bye, she couldn’t see her father’s car anywhere. She headed towards the waiting area near the security office and sat there. Soon, her brother and sister joined her. The buses started to depart the school, one by one. The final bus departed. Still, there was no sign of her father’s car.

Kavita stared into the vacant ground where the buses had stood. She got up and looked at the empty, dusty roads on the other side of the gate. Only sand was blowing across the road. There was no sign of the car. Her brother and sister joined her in staring into the distance.

“I think he is caught up in the traffic”, the brother spoke and went into the ground to play by himself.

Kavita and her little sister stood staring at the road, with her little sister gripping Kavita’s hand tightly.

The guard came and asked them to step back, “Go and wait in the waiting area until he comes. I will keep the gate open for some time, he may just be coming by”

Kavita and her sister sat back in the waiting area. At first, they started playing hand games, “Ameena Katta Meena”. Then Kavita thought that she would finish her homework while waiting. Kavita opened her books and flipped through her homework. Unfortunately, unlike other days, there was barely any homework that day. She went through the notes of that day. Looking at Kavita, her little sister also pretended to do her non-existent homework. Kavita looked up from her book and saw that her brother was busy with himself, running around and pretending to bowl cricket balls using stones.

Kavita finished her revision. By this time, the guard had also closed the gates. She looked at her sister who was now jumping around, skipping on the stones of the waiting room. Kavita picked up a leaf lying around, started filling it with mud and wrapping it carefully. After some time, Kavita stared into the empty space where the buses stood and looked over at the once bustling school building, standing deserted. She imagined all that she would do, all that she could study when she grew up. She was excited about the possibility of becoming a scientist, working in a lab for hours. She laughed at herself, for day dreaming.

Her train of thoughts was disturbed by the commotion the guard was making. The guard was setting up things for his evening tea.

She edged closer to the setup but stood quietly, making sure not to disturb the guard’s routine.

She noticed. The guard first straightened and cleaned a small wooden table. The table had seen days, it was cracked all over in between. However, it was still sturdy and usable, except for one leg. Kavita saw the guard trying to balance it with different materials: a book, cardboard, a cloth. Without realizing, Kavita took out her notebook, folded it six times, and handed it to the guard.

The guard was surprised to get the help. He took the paper, saying, “Thanks, beta. This might just work,” and stuck it under the table’s leg. He then tested it again by shaking and pressing on the table. It was much better, but still a little wobbly.

By then, Kavita’s brother had joined the mini-testing session and suggested to use one of the smaller, flatter pebbles along with the paper. They did and voila! The table was standing as sturdy as a mountain.

Now the guard moved on to the next steps. He brought out a mini pan from his tiny room. He then brought out a mini stove, lit it, and placed the pan on it. He poured in some water and some milk, waiting for it to boil.

Kavita kept looking at the stove in confusion. She was trying to figure out how the fire was lit. She was familiar with gas stoves with pipeline connected that brought the gas to the stove. But there was no such thing here.

“Uum…how did you light the stove?” She was hesitant at first but asked him nevertheless.

“What do you mean, by this lighter”, the guard replied

“No…I mean where did it get the gas to light?”

“Oh, that. The gas is stored inside the stove. This is a portable stove”

The idea was hard for Kavita to make sense of. All her childhood, she had been warned to be careful around gas cylinders, and now here was a tiny stove with its own gas inside it.

As if the guard had read her mind, he continued, “It actually works very much like the stove you have at home. At home, the gas comes from a big cylinder or through a pipeline. A regulator controls how much gas reaches the burner, so only a little comes out at a time.”

He pointed towards the small gas canister attached beneath the stove.

“This stove has a much smaller gas canister, so I can carry it wherever I go. When I turn this knob, only a little gas flows to the burner, where it mixes with air and lights up. When the canister is empty, I simply refill or replace it. People often use these stoves while camping or trekking.”

Kavita was awestruck. Her eyes sparkled. She couldn’t wait to learn more about such things, even though she knew she would have to wait a few more years before she could safely use one herself.

By this time, the water and milk had boiled. The guard added two teaspoons of tea leaves and swirled the pan.

Kavita watched carefully.

The white milk slowly began changing colour. Thin brown wisps spread through it, twisting, swirling, and disappearing until the entire pan had turned a warm brown.

She leaned a little closer.

The smell reached her before the colour had completely changed.

The guard smiled to himself as he stirred the tea one last time and poured it through a small steel strainer into his cup.

Just then, a familiar horn echoed outside the school gate.

Beep! Beep!

Kavita, her brother, and her little sister immediately looked towards the road.

“There he is!” her brother exclaimed.

Their father’s car slowly rolled towards the gate.

“I’m so sorry,” he said as they climbed in. “The traffic wasn’t moving at all.”

Kavita smiled, “It’s alright.”

She looked back once through the rear window.

The guard had settled into his chair with his steaming cup of tea. The little wooden table stood firm on its folded paper and pebble. The school grounds remained silent, bathed in the soft orange glow of the setting sun.

As the car drove away, Kavita rested her head against the window.

She thought about the paper beneath the table leg.

The tiny stove with its hidden gas.

The tea leaves slowly colouring the milk.

The warm smell that had filled the waiting area.

The wait had felt endless when it began.

But maybe if she hadn’t had to wait, she would have missed it all.

WHERE’S THE SCIENCE? Click to find out.

• Balance and Stability

When the security guard’s table wobbled, Kavita and her brother experimented with folded paper and a flat pebble to make it steady. An object is stable when it is well supported and its weight is evenly distributed. Because one table leg was shorter, the table rocked from side to side. By filling the gap, they restored its balance and made it stable again.

• Fuel, Combustion, and Heat

Kavita was surprised to see a stove without a large gas cylinder. Portable camping stoves store fuel in a small gas canister. When the knob is turned, a controlled amount of gas flows to the burner, mixes with oxygen from the air, and burns. This process, called combustion, releases heat that is used for cooking.

• Diffusion and Heat

As the tea leaves boiled, Kavita watched the milk slowly turn brown. Tiny coloured and flavour molecules from the tea spread throughout the hot liquid. This spreading is called diffusion. Because particles move faster when heated, diffusion happens much more quickly in hot tea than it would in cold water.

• Observation in science

Kavita began the evening feeling impatient because she had to wait. But as she slowed down, she noticed the wobbling table, the portable stove, the changing colour of the tea, the dusty breeze, and the quiet school grounds. Careful observation is one of the most important scientific skills. Many discoveries begin simply by paying close attention to everyday events.