The long
summer holiday is not the time to be thinking about next term’s science work!
However – in
a broader sense it may be a good idea to think in the round about helping your
school to interact with science in a more useful and meaningful way for the
children. At CIEC the long running Children Challenging Industry project has
been shown to increase understanding of scientific principles, understanding of
how science is happening in industry and how many jobs there are in the
scientific industries.
The Children
Challenging Industry project involves one of our Advisory Teachers going into
schools and delivering science activities with an industrial context. The last
session involves a site visit to a local industry. The lessons in school are
always very enjoyable for the children – and importantly very much appreciated
by the teacher who is able to observe (and join in!) an experienced primary
science teacher in action.
The whole experience is remembered positively by the children many years after the event
and it is often the site visit that is remembered most fondly.
Below are some comments collated
by Advisory Teacher Jenny Harvey following a visit by St John the Evangelist RC Primary
School, Billingham, to the Johnson Matthey site in Billingham.
The thing that you enjoyed doing the most;
The experiments
I enjoyed learning more things about industry and doing all the
experiments. I felt very professional
The liquid nitrogen
Was when he put liquid nitrogen on the floor and it turned straight away
into a gas
Going to Johnson Matthey. I especially liked the nitrogen gas
I enjoyed doing experiments and learning about catalysts and how
important industry is
I have learnt many new things at Johnson Matthey and it has given me a
great interest in science. I had lots of fun here
Filling the balloon with coke
I enjoyed the part where the balloon was popped with diet cola
I really liked talking about catalysts
I found it a treat that we
were allowed in to see how they make stuff
The thing that you enjoyed doing the least;
Leaving
Nothing, it was fantastic
I didn’t enjoy the liquid nitrogen bit that much
Nothing
Nothing
It was all fantastic
Nothing I loved everything
