Stem Clubs Activities
Glow in the dark slime
30th October 2009
Make Slime
You will need:
*1 teaspoon of Borax. The regular laundry kind.
*Water.
*Some white glue. This is sold under various brand names including Elmer’s™.
*Food coloring or tempera powdered pigment.
How to make it:
Mix the Borax with about a cup of water and stir well. It needs to be completely dissolved. Stir it some more if you aren’t sure. Put this aside for a minute.
Mix about half a cup of the white glue with an equal amount of water. Add in the coloring (unless you are happy with white slime, but what’s the fun in that?) and stir until you get a uniform mixture.
Now comes the fun part. Pour the two mixtures together into a single bowl. The mixture will begin to polymerize almost immediately.
We added glow in the dark paint – one small bottle goes a long way.
Walking Robots
29th October 2009
Walking Robots
Pupils have to construct a kit robot. This consists of builing a gear box and attaching mechanical parts. Wiring the motor and lights to the batteries so the robot works.
Once pupils have been able to construct their robots they will race them to see which one walks in the starightest line and is the first to cross the finish line.
Crime Scene Investigation
27th October 2009
Analyse a crime scene. Look for, take fingerprints. Investigate blood splatters for the murder weapon. Investigate blood viscosity for time of death.
Alien Blood
26th October 2009
You are going to make some ‘blood’ of the type you might see oozing from an injured alien creature in a space fiction film. Dr Malcolm Armstrong is a British chemist who creates special chemical effects like this for many action films.
You may like to finish off by making a messy volcano.
This was the introduction when pupils walked into our Science lab mixed together with some scary music.
Pupils were very interested in this small project as they thought they were setting up for a film.
A competition was set up to see which student could do the best look-alike hurt alien and the best volcano.
Instructions and method are available on request.
Strange Custard
26th October 2009
If you mix together the right amounts of custard powder and water, you get suspension which behaves rather unexpectedly.
This small project was aimed at extending pupils learning in Chemistry, with pupils looking at the properties of solids and liquids.
They looked at what happens when they pushed the stirrer into the suspension and when they poured the suspension.
Rocket Man
26th October 2009
Pupils had to look at the physics of rockets. Pupils looked at the effects of streamline, velocity, mass, distance.
Pupils spent an hour designing their rocket, one hour making their rocket from resources bought in and an hour launching the rockets from a portable station.
A competition was made and only one winner.
The winning rocket went approx 30 meters.
Pupils loved this project and would run it again!
King Kong's Hand
26th October 2009
You have probably heard of King Kong, the giant gorilla in the film of the same name with large, hairy hands. Sodium bicarbonate is a compound made up of the elements hydrogen, sodium, oxygen and carbon. When vinegar (ethanoic acid and water) is added, a chemical reaction takes place. The elements carbon and oxygen link together to make a new compound called carbon dioxide.
If you wish, I can send the method just drop me an email. The pupils loved it!
Fire Writing
24th October 2009
Pupils were involved in a project involving oxerdising agents. They needed to research a small project that they wanted to complete in order to improve on their learning in their current Science lessons.
A pupils worksheet is attached.
They loved this small project and found it useful as now every single student can explain Scientifically what an oxidising agent does.
Engineering Challenge: A model of the Middlesborough transporter bridge
21st October 2009
Students shall enter the Engineering Challenge…
More details to enter.
Find Your Talent National Trust Project
21st October 2009
A group of students are involved with a Find Your Talent National Trust Project. Students are investigating conservation methods used in museums and heritage houses. Students have had the opportunuity to visit North Somerset Museum, Tyntesfield National Trust House and the V and A Museum. They have observed different scientific conservation methods used. Students will be presenting their project at the end of the year.
Paper Tower 2
20th October 2009
In a twist on the previous paper tower built, the students are in competition with each other to build a tower made of paper that can support the biggest weight.
Sustainable Development
20th October 2009
This project challenged the pupils to design and build a model for a new building to be added onto the school that should be as sustainable as possible.