Scientists in the making! From biscuit dunking to racing rockets, Oriel students launch experiments to celebrate Science Week

Not only is science fun, but it is part of our everyday lives – something that students at Oriel Academy were reminded of when they celebrated British Science Week.

From building bridges to crafty rafts, students took part in a school-wide competition of daily challenges to celebrate science.

The challenges covered all three science disciplines of chemistry, physics and biology, and the winning entries in each class will be awarded a certificate and prize.

British Science Week is an annual 10-day event that celebrates all things science. STEM schools are encouraged to get involved in experiments, events and activities showcasing the power of science, technology, engineering and maths.

This year, Oriel Academy adopted their own Science Week, running from 1^st – 5^th March.

 

Alex Burns, Science Lead and coordinator of the event, said: “Science has always been important but with this year’s Coronavirus pandemic and the whole world talking about the impact of climate change, it has been very important to continue with celebrating science during remote learning.”

Although Science Week was celebrated at home this year, it was more important than ever for students to take part. Alex explained: “The aim of Science Week is to engage and inspire people of all ages with science, engineering and technology.

 “So, we have chosen a range of activities to do at home related to all parts of science that can be completed at any age or even together as a household.

“Each activity was carefully planned in order for children to use the resources they have at home, as we are in lockdown, and a range of areas were covered – chemistry, biology and physics.”

One challenge asked children to build 3 different boats using paper or foil and see which one floats best. Another challenge asked students to build a bridge using paper and test how much weight it can hold.

All challenges included links to additional online resources for students to research the topic further.

This years’ Science Week celebrations were somewhat different to previous years. Alex explained: “We celebrate British Science Week each year.

“In the past, we have launched the week off with an exciting assembly, invited workshops the school such as the planetarium, and we promote our children to visit many of the science museums we have around London. They are amazing!”

Nonetheless, fun was still had by all this year with some friendly competition! Alex explained: “Winning entries will be chosen by each class teacher.

“Each teacher will be looking at the work completed and looking for children who show commitment to their work, creativity, having fun and an understanding of the activity.”

Winning entries will be selected later this week once all children are back in school.