The idea of the project “Science for Children” appeared already five years ago, in 2008, after a regular selection of scholarship holders of Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation, held at the Novosibirsk State University. The scholarship holders had a task - to come up with and implement a socially significant volunteer project. Many ideas have been proposed, but only one caught everyone’s fancy - to popularize science in schools

This project, which was named Play Science at that time, in the spring of 2008, was presented at the business games in Krasnoyarsk, where the final stage of the contest of social projects carried out by Potanin Foundation, was held in the Siberian region. The team did not get the grant, however, upon return to Novosibirsk, full of enthusiasm and determination, they made the first series of lectures on five subjects: mathematics, geology and geophysics, biology, chemistry, physics, and went into one of the leading high schools of the city of Novosibirsk.

In summer 2009, a team of seven people have represented the project “Science for Children” at the summer school of Potanin Foundation. As a result of persistent and coordinated work of the team led by Alexander Pyryayev and Yuriy Ivanov won a grant in the amount of 96,000 rubles.

Initially, the project experienced difficulties. The main problem was the lack of specialists. Scholarship holders were simple students of natural science specialties, mostly of the 2nd-4th years of study, and were not able to draw financial papers, negotiate, conduct advertising campaigns, etc. But within a few months a team of enthusiasts from among the students of different faculties of NSU was gathered. The next step was to establish contacts with schools. After visiting several schools in which project participants studied, worked or just knew the teachers, the news of the project started to scatter on word of mouth, and they started to be invited more and more often.

In the summer of 2010, the project “Science for Children” became the best implemented project of Potanin Foundation for 2009-2010. In 2010, the leadership team was joined by Sergey Ti, a member of the Fund “NSU Endowment”, which manages the project at the moment.

The 2011 season turned out to be fruitful, it can be called “the year of new experiences”. The project team was invited to lecture at the International Student Conference ISSC-2011, and not only at a school section, and also at the student’s one! In summer, a visiting session to the GGF range in Klyuch was organized for the students of gymnasium “Gornostay”, where they held field-oriented classes in geology and geophysics. The idea was a success, and it was decided to arrange summer camps and summer areas for students with lectures on various subjects.

The project was gaining popularity and was in demand in schools as a tool for professional education. Lectures have found their place in the system of supplementary education in the direction of scientific activity of students.

In 2011, the project got a new permanent partner - Regional center for work with gifted children DIO-GEN. Employees of the Center DIO-GEN took over the function of the coordinator: disseminated information to all schools of the Novosibirsk region, accepted applications, formed requests of schools, prepared schedules.

In 2012 and 2013 the project became the Winner of the city competition of socially significant projects “Parade of ideas” and received grants for 80 and 30 thousand rubles.

A feature of the project was and still is the constant rotation of generations in the leadership of the team. This allows the project to evolve and remain relevant, despite such a long time for a student volunteer project.

Today, the project “Science for Children” has the following characteristics.

• About 70 schools of the Novosibirsk region, as well as of the cities of Barnaul, Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk, Pavlodar took part in the project. Herewith, many schools participated in the project from two to five times. 
• More than 500 hours of lectures in schools and 10 excursions to the Research Institute of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion, science labs at NSU, Institute of Cytology and Genetics and Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics) were held. 
• More than 7,000 students of different ages have listened to the lectures. 
• 3,000 information subject booklets and 4,000 brochures about the project were disseminated. 
• More than 120 people - students and postgraduate students of NSU, as well as graduate students of SB RA took part in the project. Initially, the project started with a team of 20 people. 
• A Project Charter, adopted by the participants at the general meeting, was created. 
• Thesis on sociology was defended based on the materials of the project.

Now the project is confident in its future, thanks to the constant support of the Fund of the owner of the target capital “NSU Endowment” and Novosibirsk State University. An important role in the promotion and development of the project was played by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. Thanks to the cooperation with the Agency the project was supported by the Governor of the Novosibirsk Region

The project “Science for Children” in the coming years sees its development as follows:

• Improving access to the project for the schoolchildren of districts of the Novosibirsk region. 
• Participation in the project team for at least 5% of the students of the Novosibirsk State University (250-300 people). 
• Entering the federal and regional long-term target program for the sustainable financing of the project. 
• Expanding forms of lectures with students: management of the research projects of schoolchildren, organization and arrangement of onsite holiday multidisciplinary schools.
• Consolidation of experience and replication of the project in the regions of the Siberian Federal District.
• Participating in affiliate programs and projects of regional and federal level. 
• Formation of a separate target capital for project development and support of talented students who participated in the project.