Science Week at the Prep

Last week saw a number of Perse parents generously give their time to help Prep pupils explore many new and varied areas of science. Visitors ranged from GPs to pathologists, engineers to inventors, all of whom are experts in their respective fields.

There was a packed schedule of activities arranged for the pupils, all of which served to complement their work in the classroom.

Year 3 enjoyed inspiring talks from Luzia Moore, a pathologist who stopped by to show the pupils some of the equipment she uses in her role, which was followed by a fascinating talk about human anatomy. They also learned about the human skeleton and its function with Dr Chappell, the problem of pasteurised milk with microbiologist Youli Dimakou and Dr Ashwini Swamy conducted an experiment to demonstrate who food is dissolved. One of the highlights of Year 3’s activities was the visit from Ventura Animals who brought along some creatures great and small; including a rat, an owl and a snake!

Year 4’s programme of events ranged from learning about battlefield medicine, hearing loss and mobile and tablet technology from local technology company, ARM. They also had some fantastic sessions with Laura Kitchen who explained about microorganisms and Dr Gahlaut who gave a fascinating insight into her life as a pathologist.

Pupils in Year 5 got to grips with the science behind cycling and Dr Brierley delved in to the world of the brain and how it works. They also had excellent sessions about common illnesses with a GP, and engineer, Tim Minshall, who looked at the process of manufacturing which culminated with the children making items out of playdough!

Wildlife conservation, the process of inventing and psychology were all on the menu for Year 6, whilst the whole school took part in a workshop to make pinhole cameras with the Cambridge Science Centre and a talk from NAPP Pharmaceuticals on medicine making. The week was rounded off with House Activity Day which involved the children designing, building and launching rockets, and building bridges using just paper and sellotape, and then testing their strength.

This was a busy but brilliant week for the pupils, which we hope has inspired them to take up a career in science in years to come!

Our thanks go to all of the parents who gave up their time to offer their expertise.