This week has transformed each one of us into real scientists! British Science Week is a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths. This year’s theme was connections!
We started our week with a special science assembly. Mrs Swain conducted several experiments. One of them was placing orange in the water. The children expected that the orange with the skin would sink in the water as the rind makes it heavier. However, the orange rind was filled with tiny pockets of air which reduced the density of the orange and allowed it to float. By removing the orange rind, Mrs Swain was left with a much denser object which then sank in the water. The second experiment was ‘piercing pencils through a plastic bag’. No water spills out of the holes because ziplock bags are made of a polymer. When you poke the sharp pencil into the plastic the pencil point slides in between the chain of molecules that make up the polymer. The molecule chains “hug” the pencil, making a seal around the pencil that won’t let the water out. Another experiment involved coca cola and mentos. As the mentos sank to the bottom of the coca cola, it caused the quick production of carbon dioxide bubbles. These rising carbon dioxide bubbles reacted with more carbon dioxide still in the soda causing it to release as well. The pressure built up and then created the amazing eruption.
Next, Year 5 and 6 had an exciting workshop about space and constellations, where they had the opportunity to create amazing constellation viewer telescopes. They looked at the constellations ‘plough’ and ‘orion’. They learned about the speed of light and the colourful illusions of space.
Year 3,4,5 and 6 had another workshop which was about chemicals and the periodic table. They had the opportunity to observe incredible reactions!
Early Years had another workshop and conducted several instant ice experiments and also received special science awards! They are now officially scientists!
KS2 were also challenged to make a bridge (using only 5 sheets of paper and a little bit of tape) that was strong enough to hold some weight. This activity got them thinking about the connections between weight, forces, and measures. They also had special experiments where they compared different fingerprints and saw if they could identify any patterns. Using a magnifying glass, they could see the amazing patterns God created, making us all unique! They had another lesson where they analysed the phases of the moon and learned interesting facts such as ‘moon dust smells like gunpowder’.
Year 2 were exploring soil properties – digging outside soil and observing/feeling/describing peat-free compost and making comparisons! They loved getting their hands dirty. They also planted a pair of pants in compost and a pair in soil outside the classroom. They will be observing what happens in the next few weeks! They also planted sunflower seeds and have a pot each which they have to look after for themselves. They also had fun using flour and soft pencils to identify their fingerprints!
This week inspired us beyond measure! We realized how blessed we are to experiment and explore this beautiful world full of wonders and surprises!
