Primary Science Week

Look around you, wherever you are reading this now look around you. Everything you see is a product of science or can be understood or described by science (mostly). Science is everywhere. It is because of this at BIS we feel it is vital to create scientifically literate students, children who can question, research, problem solve, test ideas and enjoy making new discoveries.
Our Science Week was based around the theme of ‘Space’ which included built, outdoor, indoor, personal, outer and digital space. Each class had the chance to explore one element of space that they would most enjoy.

The primary school Science Week was filled with high quality learning experiences, the children fully immersed themselves in the theme and found themselves exploring things they did not know were possible and made new discoveries each day. In our science assembly I shared a video with the children called ‘The Joy of Discovery’ and every time I went into one of the primary classes there was a real sense of excitement, a buzz, the joy of discovery was evident in every room. That’s the thing about being a scientist, as our children have been finding out; you get to make new discoveries every day.

We are opening a new science space next year for the primary department and as such we took the opportunity to create a visually stimulating and exciting work space during Science Week. The children had the opportunity to design and decorate a ceiling tile for the classroom, with the winning entries guaranteed a prime spot in our new room. There were lots of inventive, creative and colourful designs, from Einstein inspired tiles, to the Solar System and even black holes. Suffice to say the standard was high, meaning that when we open our new science room the children will have a colourful and stimulating space to learn in.

The joy and wonder experienced by the children during our Science Week was fully on display during our Science Share Fair where the children were given the opportunity to share their learning with their peers, as well as other teachers and parents. It was clear to anyone walking around the Primary areas of the school, whether in the EYC or the Key Stage 2 corridor that there was a buzz about science. The children spoke with enthusiasm, knowledge and authority on their particular area of expertise. Whether it was potato batteries, ants, bumble bees, built structures or gathering evidence from a crime scene the children all demonstrated and articulated the science they had learnt wonderfully, even teaching the adults a thing or two.

The skills the children learn through science are transferable across the curriculum and are crucial for future success. At BIS we want to create students with a thirst for enquiry, a curiosity, an ability to questions ideas and test them, the skills to problem solve when things go wrong and the understanding that getting things wrong is a good thing, that errors are part of the learning process. That is why science is so valuable in school; you only need to glance around you for a moment to see how important science really is.

Mr Paul Wild,  Primary Science Coordinator