Science & Engineering Week at SLC
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WEEK AT ST LAWRENCE COLLEGE
Science Week at St. Lawrence College started on Monday 14th March and ran until Friday 18th March 2011. Every day, a different aspect of science was celebrated through a variety of activity evenings and workshops: Cool Physics on Monday (with ice cream!), the Physics of Giant Bubbles on Tuesday, and on Wednesday a live link-up with a NASA astronaut his stories and student questions. Lots more demonstrations through the week and a Science in Action Fair on the Friday evening hosted by our 11 13 age range students from Kirby House, who were revealing a terms worth of science research. With subjects as varied as the effects of bleaches and dyes on hair, the effects of smoking, alcohol and other drugs on the human body, to the most effective sea and wind power generators, Kirby showed us how it was done and brought science to life!
View our photo gallery of the week's fun events.
THANET SCIENCE & ENGINEERING CHALLENGE
On Thursday 17th March 2011, we held our Annual Science and Engineering Challenge, to help mark Science and Engineering week in Thanet. 24 local primary schools Year 5 pupils (in teams of 4) attended 96 children in all accompanied by parents, teachers and helpers. This was the biggest take-up for a number of years and kept teaching and catering staff busy behind the scenes!
Each team took part in a circus of Science and Technology tasks, which were designed to make use of all the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 Science the children will have been learning this year.
Some examples of the sorts of practical tasks that have been set in past years: designing a humane mouse trap, construct a vehicle to carry a 200 gm mass as far as possible, make an accurate chemical timing device and so on - all conceived to give every team a really hands-on day of science!
This year, the Engineering task was to build a rocket and see how far it could be fired (tests took place on the sports field!), and in Biology, the teams had to find out how much energy there was in food, by burning it and heating water they could choose from a selection of different foods provided. The Chemistry task was to see how teams could cook eggs using a variety of different heat sources, using the least amount of energy candles, mirrors, sheets of metal and an angle-poise lamp were all available to use!
After the morning activities the teams and their parents had lunch at St Lawrence, followed by a practical quiz and a Chemical Magic Show to entertain the children while the judging was taking place.
The presentation of prizes took place at 2.45 pm followed by certificates to the winning schools.
1st; 2nd; 3rd cash prizes were awarded by our Head, Rev. Mark Aitken, to spend on scientific equipment for each of the winning schools. The prizes were provided by St Lawrence College.
The winners were:
1st Place - Wingham Primary; 2nd Place - Bridge & Patrixbourne CE Primary; 3rd Place - Sandwich Junior School
