Science Fun Day

Ali Bevan, JIC and Sandy Watson, Tunstead Primary School

Ali and Sandy’s TSN partnership began with a half-day planning meeting at the JIC. At first, Ali — aided with TSN loan kits such as the human torso, heart rate monitors and microscopes — worked alongside Year 5 and 6 pupils who were learning about the human body. But fairly soon they were planning something considerably more ambitious: a whole-day event for all the children in the school, and their parents. The main purpose of the day, they decided, would be to show that science can be fun and to give children of all ages the opportunity to take part in a number of different practical activities throughout the day.

Tunstead’s Science Fun Day saw Years 5 and 6 children finding out ‘How Fit are Fitness Instructors? David Howie, Officer Commanding Physical Education at RAF Coltishall was the volunteer/victim. Supported by Ali, and using the heart rate monitors borrowed from the TSN, the children put David through his paces, comparing his heart rate before and after exercise, and comparing it to that of their own. Back in the classroom the children looked to see if there was a correlation between their heart rates and their lung capacity. Meanwhile other children and their parents were pond dipping, hunting mini-beasts, separating various mixtures, combining science and ICT using data logging equipment and investigating food science.

The science day was a big success planning has already begun for more activities in the coming year.