Monday, March 10, 2014

Is primary school the right place to tell children about the scientific industries?

There is much debate about equipping school leavers for the workplace. It seems that many young people leave school with little idea of what to expect from the world of work. Perhaps earlier engagement with what 'work' is all about would be a good thing for both employers and the young people who at times can seem ill-prepared.

Work experience in the later stages of secondary education is an invaluable way to show 'work' to pupils who may have no idea what to expect. But wouldn't it be great to start introducing them to workplace scenarios at a much earlier age?

Why not look at some of the CIEC resources which are all context based - setting children scientific problems to solve based in the world of the science industries?

If your pupils have been watching #Crufts2014 over the weekend why not look at CIEC resource Medicines for Pets .



This resource focuses on the processes involved in developing pet medicines. The context is closely related to the challenges faced by research scientists and manufacturers.
Activities investigate the extraction and purification of the active ingredient, the formulation of a tablet, the best tablet shape and developing a suitable coating..

Monday, March 3, 2014

A good week to teach primary science space topics with #Gravity in the news

What a great night for British Film! Sadly CIEC have no science resources even remotely connected with #12YearsASlave but we have a great primary resource for 9-12 year olds Is There Anyone Out There? which would make a great tie in to #Gravity.

This resource is based upon the quest to discover more about our solar system through space projects such as the European Space Agency's Aurora programme, and NASA's Curiosity mission seeking to gather evidence of life on the planet Mars. The children take on the role of space scientists or space engineers to discover more about Mars.

One of the favourite activities involves constructing a chocolate volcano to mimic lava flow. The pic shows a primary science 'ambassador' making the volcano (and having fun!).

Monday, February 24, 2014

Re-engaging primary children after the half term break

After having (we hope) a great week at home for half term it is a bit of a struggle to get the children back into a good 'learning' mode.

Maybe this is a good time to treat them to some primary science?

If it is difficult to find the time how about looking at some of the CIEC stand-alone resources?

All of the primary CIEC resources are either available as FREE downloads or as websites.

This week CIEC is featuring Generating Electricity


Which features:
Wind generators, circuit construction, problem-solving and electrical safety - everything required for teaching the electricity topic at Key Stage 2 is included in this investigation-based activity pack.

Monday, February 17, 2014

How can I link primary science to Sochi?

It seems a good idea to tap into children's enthusiasm for the winter Olympics at Sochi and get a good primary science session going on linked to something they have seen.

Even the most casual observer of the games will realise that resistance - either of snow/ice or wind plays a big part in the final result.

So resources looking at forces seem an ideal link.
How about Feel the Force

The activities provide an opportunity for children to learn about the properties of air and in particular, the frictional force it exerts. The ideas are put into a real life context, that of a transport company looking for ways to reduce the fuel consumption of their lorries.

Monday, January 20, 2014

First Children Challenging Industry site visit to Johnson Matthey at Royston, Hertfordshire

 
St Mary’s pupil inspecting the substrate before the wash coat is applied.
 
The first site visit for Children Challenging Industry as it moves south to Hertfordshire was a tremendous success both with Johnson Matthey and St Mary's RC Primary School, Royston.
Read about it in Business Weekly


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

CIEC at the Annual ASE Conference, Birmingham 8th-11th January


Don't miss Joy, Jenny and Nicky at the ASE Conference in Birmingham!
Jenny and Nicky are holding workshops on Friday (both in Arts LR5) and Joy is talking on Saturday - again in LR5. Details below:

 Jenny Harvey
Forces: practical approach to the new curriculum
Room: Arts LR5
Time: 11.00
Date: Friday 10th January

Nicky Waller
Developing Enquiry Skills within the New Primary Curriculum
Room: Arts LR5
Time: 15.30
Date: Friday 10th January


Joy Parvin
Visitors from Industry in the Primary Classroom
Room: Arts LR5
Time: 09.30
Date: Saturday 11th January

 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Children Challenging Industry visit to LOTTE Chemicals

Jenny Harvey (left) with children from St Bernadette's and some of the Lotte team
 
LOTTE Chemicals had not hosted a visit for Children Challenging Industry for quite some time. We began with an initial meeting to update Jackie Petford and the team on what it entails. Joanne Route, who was the Industry Liaison Officer and Tony Johnson, who hosts regular visits at Huntsman (also on the Wilton site) were present, along with me and two members of the LOTTE team. Initially hesitant due to the time lapse since the last visit, the ideas and plans came rapidly into fruition. Jackie remembered hosting previous visits and the other members of her team became more and more enthused about the whole idea. A firm plan was put in place and the visit date was booked.
 After providing and paying for the coach, for which St Bernadette’s RC Primary School were eternally grateful, the LOTTE team sprang into action with a brief introduction from the CEO, a Health and Safety talk and a quick tour of the site. Hard hats, lab coats and specs were provided by the CCI team. The children got to see the control room in action and a series of exciting experiments in each of the real laboratories. One child commented that ‘It was great to see what really goes on in one of those labs, instead of what you see on the telly!’ The morning finished with a set of photographs being taken of the group and a healthy drink and snack being given by the LOTTE team. The children were buzzing with conversations about what they had seen and learned from the visit all the way back to school. Several children said that they had not expected it to be as interesting as it was and they were more likely to study science subjects in future. A great success all round!
 
 Jenny Harvey, CIEC Advisory Teacher for the North East