28 April 2023
Fleur D-C and Cherry L, Lower Sixth
On Wednesday 26 April, Woldingham’s STEM society hosted our inaugural STEM for Schools event – an afternoon of fun activities designed to excite and inspire children in Years 5 and 6 about science - for pupils from Four Elms Primary School in Kent.
It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. Seven members of the STEM society helped run the afternoon, which began with Head of Science Mr Rickard’s practical demonstrations. He showcased cool experiments like the infamous screaming howling jelly baby and the ‘whoosh bottle’, which really raised the excitement levels.
Next, Cherry demonstrated how to light a Bunsen burner safely. The Four Elms pupils carried out the task with ultimate professionalism, receiving safety certificates for their efforts. The sense of accomplishment was palpable on their faces. We then moved onto making Brush Bots. Anastasia and Fleur led the activity where pupils built their own mini robots and decorated them with googly eyes and gems. Some of the pupils even had a little race against each other. Although Connor’s bot didn’t work due to faulty batteries, he was still convinced that science is the best subject!
The last hurrah of the day was making hoop gliders, led by Immy and Sophie. The pupils quickly got to work, excited to try out their flying contraptions. All of them worked diligently and showed incredible potential in their science knowledge, quietly discussing which are the best lengths of straws and sizes of hoops to ensure maximum flight distance. Initially, some hoop gliders were not working as they wanted, but they used their analytical skills to modify their gliders, and soon everyone's worked excellently as the pupils gradually started to understand the aerodynamics behind these simple and fun gliders.
The feedback from the event was extremely positive, with one pupil saying it was better than playing Fortnite. One review that made us smile was the teachers' observation of high engagement from some children with ADHD, showing the impact of the STEM Society's work on young minds as we expressed our love of science.
Overall, the STEM for Schools afternoon was a great opportunity to interact with younger pupils and encourage them to pursue their interests in science, just as we did when we were their age. It was a chance to demonstrate that science is a fun and exciting subject which can inspire and challenge us all. By conducting hands-on experiments and demonstrating real-world applications of science, all of us in the STEM Society hope to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
