By Shanelle Nwanaebi

Our 2018 British Science Week Activity Packs have launched. To put them to the test, our Chief Executive Katherine Mathieson, who volunteers with a Brownie pack in London, invited two of our staff members, Shanelle Nwanaebi and Jessica Rowley, to run some of the activities with the girls.

The Brownies were keen and eagerly excited, with more than enough enthusiasm to try out the activities. There were three stations, each led by a staff member and fully equipped with the kit list to ensure the girls had all they needed. This year’s theme is Exploration and Discovery and with the various activities on the agenda, the girls sure did a lot of that!

The kids loved the activities. They brought out their inquisitive nature, competitiveness, teamwork skills, and ingenuity. They were also super easy to organise and set up, using items commonly found in the home.

See what they got up to below...

       

Left to right: Astro-nappy, Squashed Tomatoes, Confusing Cans                                                                                                   

"Astro- Nappy" involved finding out which materials are best at absorbing liquids. Astronauts have their own special space nappies when they do spacewalks, so we wanted them to explore the best materials for the job. The girls used real nappies, cotton wool and water. It got quite messy...

"Squashed Tomatoes" brought out their competitive edge. The girls had to design and build a model that could transport as many cherry tomatoes as possible down a "mountainside", all at the same time and without squashing them. The team who transported the most were the winners, but they all came up with tremendously clever ideas.

"Confusing Cans" explored a key aspect of science: a fair test experiment. They had to find out the contents of unlabelled cans, by comparing them against labelled cans to see how much they weighed and how far they rolled. 

Would you like to give them a try? Get your students involved in British Science Week by downloading these FREE activity packs here. There are many more games and experiments inside, so you can choose ones that suit your children's interests, hobbies, and the curriculum they're studying. There’s also an opportunity for them to take part in the annual Poster Competition in groups or individually, under the same Exploration and Discovery theme. Just look in the back of the activity packs to find out more.

And as always, don't forget to like us on social media and share your pics with us using the hashtag #BSW18  @ScienceWeekUK /ScienceWeekUK @BritSciAssoc /BritishScienceAssociation