“Arjun, uth jao beta! School ke liye late ho jaoge!” shouted Maa from the kitchen. Arjun groaned, pulled his blanket tighter, and muttered, “Bas five minutes, Maa…”

But five minutes quickly turned into fifteen, and soon he was rushing to school with his shirt half-tucked and one shoe lace undone. As he dashed into the classroom, his best friend, Meera, gave him a knowing look.

“Late again?” she whispered.

“Experiment chal raha tha kal raat,” Arjun replied, grinning.

“Phir se? Kya banaya?” Meera asked.

Arjun puffed his chest. “This time, a weather detector! Par abhi thoda aur kaam baaki hai.”

Their teacher, Ms. Sharma, entered the class with a tray full of tiny plants. “Good morning, students! Today, we’re going to learn about how plants grow. But instead of just talking, we’ll do an experiment.”

Arjun’s ears perked up. Experiment? Ab mazaa aayega!

Ms. Sharma handed out small cups filled with soil and some seeds. “You’ll plant these seeds, water them daily, and observe their growth. Remember, science is all about observation and curiosity!”

Arjun couldn’t wait to get started. At home that evening, he planted his seeds carefully and even set up a notebook to record their progress. He added a twist—one cup of seeds got sunlight, while another was kept in the shade.

“Arjun, dinner ready hai!” called Maa.

“Bas aa raha hoon, Maa!” he replied, scribbling “Day 1: No change” in his notebook.

The next morning, something unexpected happened. The seeds in sunlight had tiny green shoots! Arjun ran to his parents.

“Papa, dekho! They’re growing! But why aren’t the ones in the dark doing anything?”

Papa smiled. “Wahi toh science hai, Arjun. Plants need sunlight for photosynthesis. Waise, tumhe pata hai, they also take in carbon dioxide?”

“Photosyn… what?” Arjun scratched his head.

“Photosynthesis!” Papa chuckled. “It’s how plants make their food using sunlight.”

Arjun was amazed. “Wah! Plants are like tiny factories!”

Over the next week, Arjun’s curiosity only grew. One evening, he dragged Meera to the park. “Meera, insects par experiment karte hain!”

“Eww! Insects? Seriously, Arjun?” she cringed.

“Arre, trust me. Science!” he insisted, pulling out a magnifying glass. They crouched near a bush and spotted a busy line of ants carrying crumbs.

“Dekha? They work as a team,” Arjun explained.

“Woh toh theek hai, but ab bas. Mujhe yeh creepy-crawlies pasand nahi,” Meera said, jumping away when an ant crawled too close.

“Meera, did you know ants can lift 20 times their weight?”

“Great! Matlab ek ant mujhe uthake le jaa sakti hai!” she joked, making both of them burst into laughter.

One day, Arjun’s weather detector—basically a jar with a thermometer, water, and cotton—finally started working.

“Dekho, when it’s sunny, the water evaporates faster!” he explained to his little sister, Asha.

“Bhaiya, mujhe bhi sikhao!”

“Haan, pehle yeh batao: what happens to rainwater?”

“Pata hai! Baarish ka paani zameen ke neeche chala jaata hai,” Asha said confidently.

“Wah, scientist ban gayi tu!” Arjun laughed, patting her head.

But that night, it rained heavily, and their street got flooded. Arjun wondered aloud, “If rainwater goes underground, why does it flood?”

Papa chimed in, “Beta, jab drains block ho jaate hain, paani nowhere to go. Isliye humein apne environment ka dhyan rakhna chahiye.”

This got Arjun thinking. He decided to investigate why their street flooded. The next morning, armed with gloves and a stick, he and Meera cleared the drain near their house. They found it clogged with plastic wrappers and waste.

“Arre! Yeh sab kachra!” exclaimed Meera.

“Exactly! Plastic blocks water flow. Isliye pollution rokna important hai,” said Arjun.

That evening, he made posters with slogans like “Say No to Plastic” and “Clean Drains, Happy Rains.”

A few weeks later, Ms. Sharma announced a science fair. “Prepare a project that solves a real-world problem,” she said.

Arjun’s mind raced. Real-world problem? Flooding!

He teamed up with Meera and created a model to show how clogged drains cause floods. Their project also suggested solutions like using compostable waste bags and recycling.

At the science fair, their model was a hit. Even the principal stopped by to admire their work.

“Excellent effort, Arjun and Meera! You’ve not only explained the problem but also provided solutions,” he said.

“Thank you, sir!” they beamed.

That night, as Arjun lay in bed, he felt proud. Science wasn’t just experiments and notebooks. It was a way to make the world better.

The next day, Arjun noticed a small note on his desk. It read:

“Keep experimenting, little scientist. The world needs your ideas!”

It was signed, “Ms. Sharma.”

Arjun smiled. Challenge accepted!

Moral:
Science isn’t just about answers—it’s about questions, curiosity, and making a positive difference. Stay curious, and the world becomes your lab!