St Bede’s celebrated British Science Week in style with a multitude of events, activities and competitions that brought out the scientific side of the Bede’s community.
Mrs R Prince, Head of Science, coordinated and designed the different Science Week activities; adapting content to a suitable level and exploring different topics related to Computer Science, Biology, Physics or Chemistry. For example, in Nursery the youngest pupils carried out experiments with magnets and learned for the first time about the properties of minerals.
The week began with the announcement of the ‘Which Scientist Inspires you?’ competition. Students asked their teachers about their favourite scientists. In this way, they were able to learn about different personalities from the world of science as well as win prizes. Finally, Sienna House won the overall prize, Jacob was the winner of Bosco House, Sophia of Siena House, Edson of Magdalene House and Tiffany of Campion House.
In Prep 1 they experimented with fizzy colours and rainbow colour mixing whereas in Prep 2 they focused on Biology learning specifically about Botany by studying the germination of plants in a fun way. The pupils planted their own beans and are enjoying seeing whose beans are growing the quickest.
Continuing with Biology related issues, but in this case, in the field of human anatomy, Prep 4 learnt about the digestive system by designing imaginative and original posters depicting the different parts of the digestive system.
Prep 5 Stem Club students continued to deepen their knowledge of Biology with an experience in the laboratory where they were able to observe cells from different types of animal tissue through a microscope. As part of the Stem Club activities they also took part in the challenge of building paper and sellotape bridges capable of supporting up to one kilogram of weight. They learnt as well about water resistance by working in teams to design and create a fast, streamlined boat to race against their peers.
Certainly one of the students’ favourite activities was a fantastic session in the College laboratory with Mrs Prince, where Prep 6 students were amazed by explosive thermic reactions with boiling dry ice. They also enjoyed setting off rockets in the playground and learning how to use reactions to launch fruit shoot rockets.
Without a hint of doubt, the British Science Week has been a very special event for the students that has awakened their curiosity and interest in science.
– Mrs R Prince, Head of Science Chemistry Department
