Wacky Stu visits Broadford....

... Our own wacky scientist came to visit Year 1 and 2 today as a treat for science week. The children were thrilled to have such an exciting visitor and to see lots of exciting experiments. The task for today was to discover: what is a bubble?

First, we began by looking at normal bubbles and trying to guess what might be in them, "water, colours, pop" the children guessed. We went on to learn they are made like a sandwich with a layer of soap, water and then more soap. The colours change and become more vivid as they dry out (or go on for longer).

Next we looked at making different shaped bubbles, has anyone ever seen a triangular bubble?? The reason all bubbles are spheres, we learned, was due to its surface tension requiring it to make the smalled shape it can- which is a sphere.

After this, the children saw Wacky Stu show them how to make LOTS of tiny bubbles. "He used material and there were lots of tiny holes so it all came through and made tiny bubbles" Roberto.

Now we knew how to make small bubbles, we wanted to see BIG bubbles! Using a giant wand the children got to make their own enormous bubbles and even used a bubble rocket to send out dozens of bubbles into the air. "It almost touched the roof" Blake.

It was very exciting, but the children wanted to go BIGGER!!! So next, Wacky Stu put the children inside a bubble!! "I had to stand really still so it didnt burst" Zara.

Finally, the children saw bubbles on fire, exploding/fizzy bubbles and oozing bubbles. "I made the bubbles that went on and on and kept coming out the pot" Charlie T.

"My favourite was the oozing bubbles at the end!" Arnez

"I loved the giant bubble because it was so colourful" Grace

"I got to help Wacky Stu" Keira

"I had a bubble all around me, it was amazing!" George

Year One take on the Broadford Science Challenges!

This week is Science Week and the children in Year One have been undertaking challenges from our Science bags! Great work, Year One!

Challenge 1- To discover all about static electricity and try to pick up tissue paper with a balloon.

The children soon realised what they needed to do with a lot of help from our champion balloon blower- Giada! They considered lots of things such as, what helps create the most static and why? They found their jumpers and tights were best. "Is it because it is a softer material?" Kaley. "It doesnt work as well when it gets sandy but the static electricity keeps picking up sand!" Rajaab.

Challenge 2- Make your own secret notes.

The children had lots of fun writing out secret notes and using a paint wash to reveal them.

"Now I can write secret notes to my friends just for them" Grace

Challenge 3- Make a rocket balloon.

The children chose where they wanted to send their rockets- they tied string between tables and really utilised the outdoor area. They talked about how they were going to make the rocket zoom faster and whether longer string would work better. The children had all different shaped balloons to experiment with and made predictions about what they thought would happen.

"I think the longer balloon will go the most because it took me longer to blow up!" Giada "The long balloon will get to the end as it has more air in it" Tilly "We put our string between the tables and moved the tables so it had a really long way to go" Tyler

Challenge 4- Make bubbles.

Year One used their equipment to make their own bubble wands and with great success! Lots of bubbles were being made and the children questioned why the bubbles always came our round, even if they made a triangle wand.

"If you make a big shape the bubble bursts quickly" Lily

"To make loads of bubbles we had to make our wands small" Nela

Challenge 5- Construct a tower.

In Year One, we have some enthusiastic potential architects. The children constructed a tower from straws and playdoh but they were keen to see something "bigger". Luckily, Mrs Kupriene had some constructing sticks handy and so the children went on to design and build a tower taller than them!

"The bottom needs to be very steady so it wont fall over. I'm going to need a lot of playdoh!" Charlie Porter.

"The top can be a big point so it reaches really tall into the sky" Moyin.

Challenge 6- Build a bridge.

The children got straight to work to help their gingerbread man across the river by making a bridge for him to cross. They needed to ensure their bridge was sturdy so he wouldnt fall in. Year One enjoyed trying out their different ideas to see which would be best.

"The children have made their bridges and have taken them apart so they can make more!" Mrs Baker.

Y1 learn about Alexander Graham Bell

In Year One, we have been learning about Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the early telephone. Next we completed a series of activities- fact finding, finding out the chronology of the telephone, looking at old and new telephones and creating our own!

Did you know? The first words ever said over a telephone were "Mr Watson, come here!" said by Bell to his colleague as they sat in different rooms. The children had a go themselves after making their own 'phones'.

"I can hear it through the cup!" Brooke

"The string is vibrating when I talk" Katlyn

"The first phone didnt even have numbers on it" Grace

"My favourite fact was that Bell created a machine invention when he was only 12!" Kanishka

Science Week has started!!

Just a reminder.... don't forget to complete your science learning challenge. If you complete an experiment at home (there are some suggestions on the science challenge below) send in a photo or video for your chance to win a science prize and certificate in assembly. You have two weeks to complete, so take a look. Well done to those children who have already submitted their challenges!

Enjoy!

Cherry class test materials for flammability!

This afternoon Cherry class became Scientists! They investigated which materials were most flammable and made brilliant observations of what happened.  

We noticed that the plastic cup melted but the paper turned to ash almost instantly. On the other hand, the brick, stone and metal did not appear to burn. We are looking forward to investigating this further to see if these materials would burn under different conditions such as a bigger fire or leaving them to burn for longer.