Reception, Year 1 and Year 2: On Wednesday, Alice from Science Oxford came to visit us and began by telling us the story of the Great Fire of London. Alice then showed us how quickly a fire could start by demonstrating lighting a candle and using this to light a blow torch…suddenly there was a fire ball! Alice then used cardboard houses to show how quickly the flames had spread during The Great Fire. She also showed us how the Mayor could have created a fire break by demolishing one of the houses but he chose not to! Alice showed us lots of experiments to explain the science behind fire and heat and fuel. Thank you for such an exciting morning- what a great introduction to our focus next Half Term.
Year 3/4: The children worked together to understand how the incredible magic tricks were made possible. The start of the show taught us all about Swell Gel and how it is used in nappies! Then, the children gave Shelly the Egg a swimming lesson, but she sank the first time. So, we explored how to make Shelly float in water by mixing a small amount of salt into our cup. Finally, we watched intently as a biscuit tin rolled uphill before our very eyes! It was a fascinating magic show and we were all intrigued to discover the science behind all the marvellous tricks!
Year 5/6: Swallows Class were set a challenge – our scientist’s cat had been taken and an unknown white powder left behind! The children had to work to accuse the correct suspect. Was it bicarbonate of soda, citric acid, cornflour, salt or cream of tartar? Everyone enjoyed carrying out tests: using indicator paper to assess the pH; adding vinegar to see what happened; dripping in iodine and seeing one spectacular result! It was fantastic session and, most importantly, they solved the puzzle and saved the cat.
