In March the children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in British Science Week and exploring its theme ‘Connections’. Head of Science, Mrs Halford, masterminded a fun programme of activities which kicked off with a special Assembly on the Monday on famous Scientists.
That afternoon we were joined by visiting pupils of Combe St. Nicholas School as we welcomed Engineers from Leonardo Helicopters to our school to give a talk on their exciting and inspiring careers in Engineering.
Lower Cerdic also enjoyed a fascinating discussion with our visitors from Leonardo, Sonnie and David, about Engineering: what it is, what skills you need and how many of the things we use everyday have been made by Engineers. We decided Engineers were incredible problem solvers, designers, inventors and fixers!
To celebrate British Science Week, every child in Pre-Prep was given a copy of the book ‘When I Grow Up’ by Rich Smith which has been written to educate and enthuse schoolchildren about the role of Engineers. During the week some of our pupils were thrilled to be able to meet Author, Rich Smith, via a live video conference call to find out all about the book and also the new book that he is currently writing (soon to appear in our School Library!). What a fantastic opportunity this was to meet a real life Author!
On the Tuesday Mrs Halford took Harris to Avishayes School to join other schools for a talk and workshop led by a local STEM Ambassador and Educational Consultant on solar energy, renewable/green energy and climate change. During the workshop the children used solar cells to make circuits, measured energy and discovered the science behind solar toys. They also found out how much puff is needed to turn a turbine!
On the Wednesday morning we had a very exciting visit from Biomedical Scientist Lynne Benton who gave the children a wonderful talk on Science careers within the NHS. The children were amazed to hear about all the different roles that are integral to healthcare. Lynne also told the children about an exciting poster competition the NHS are running.
During the week, the Pre-Prep Science Club became Engineers for their last session of the term. The children built towers from sugar cubes, predicted what the outcome would be if they got wet and observed what actually happened. They then had to solve the problem and choose some materials to make a tower that did not fall down when it got wet!
Huge thanks to Mrs Halford for organising this super, action-packed, inspiring Science Week for our pupils!
