Pre-Prep had a day of excitement, wonder and awe on their Sensational Science Day in May.
Each child in Years 1 and 2 took part in a carousel of activities including experiments with chromatography, dissolving and chemical reactions. Year 2 investigated the question, 'Is it a solid or a liquid?', making non-newtonian liquids by adding water to cornflour which made for a very satisfying hands-on exercise, involving lots of pink slime! They discovered that when pressure was put on the liquid it would turn into a solid as the water molecules were pushed away. Their challenge was to make a ball shape and then describe what happened next!
They then went on to learn all about chromatography (and patience) as they grew their very own rainbows using the technique for the separation of a mixture into its components through a moving fluid stream. While in Year 1, children enjoyed creating chromatography flowers and creating ‘magic’ milk to watch food colouring patterns move around. They discovered that Skittles were able to dissolve well as they are made up primarily of sugar.
Year 1 were also to be found outside, looking at insects and five tortoises (Dora, Karl, Rupert, Alex and Barbara) as part of their animal studies in Science - learning about reptiles in this instance, what they eat, conditions they prefer, laying of eggs, parts of body, longevity etc. With one tortoise between two or three children, they followed and observed them, and couldn’t believe the speed or distance they travelled, or how good they were at escaping.
Thank you to Mrs Reeves who found Barbara making her way down through the car park, presumably heading to the bus stop.
In RBY they made colourful Lava Lamps using chemical reactions and food colouring to great effect. While RBD's Science Day started with a BANG as they also looked at chemical reactions and went on to explore forces, healthy living, the properties of fabric for different purposes and growing plants. Reception also experimented with sinking and floating in their first swimming lesson, where thankfully everyone floated!
