Science Week 2024: Time explored by young scientists

"The science of today is the technology of tomorrow."

- Edward Teller

Wellington College Hangzhou had a successful week celebrating Science Week.  Our pupils joined with pupils in the UK for British Science Week and enjoyed fun-packed activities involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This year, British Science Week is celebrating  its 30th anniversary.  It takes place annually in March and is a national celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,  which is observed by schools, libraries, museums, businesses and more.

This year’s theme for British Science Week is “Time” with a subtext of smashing stereotypes by celebrating the diverse people and careers in science and engineering.

mashing stereotypes fun fact:

Dr Chien- Shiung Wu – Known as the first lady in physics, was a Chinese-American pioneer born in Liuhe, Jiangsu province in 1912. She transformed nuclear science through her work on the Manhattan Project. In 1943 she became Princeton University’s first female physics professor.

Continue reading to learn more about the exciting science activities that our pupils participated in this week, which promoted cross-curricular learning. This information comes from our Heads of Science, Graham Starkey and Angy Patarroyo.

Angy Patarroyo

Head of Science - Primary

This year British science week celebrates its 30th Anniversary, and WCIH could not be more excited about being part of the celebration. Science week provides our pupils a unique, dedicated window in which to get stuck in hands on activities to explore the world around them. By taking part in research, investigations and presentations, the pupils have a whole week to enjoy the different faces of science and stimulate their interest in the subject.

Everything in science revolves around time, evolution, states of matter, life cycles etc., just as time passes with everything we do, so has it passed on the existence and evolution of British science week, what a better way to commemorate this enigmatic dimension than by giving science week that theme. It has so beautifully lent itself to cross-curricular links across our primary curriculum and allowed the pupils to engage in a way where observation and measure -key aspects of science- have been the focus of their attention.

The activities arranged for this week have closely followed the topic the pupils were learning about to ensure engagement and relevance.

Year 1: made Jelly adding different ingredient to observe how this affected the process of turning from liquid to solid or to “wobbly” as suggested by Yvonne, class 1A. They also looked at life cycles and put chicken eggs in an incubator hoping they will soon hatch, these two activities gave us the opportunity to talk about some of the changes that are observable short term and some that are long term.

Year 2 and Year 3: followed their topic of plants, and conducted an investigation on how fast different plants can grow and what they need to live. Year 3 included in their investigation the change of variables and observed if the absence of these had any effect on the plants.

Year 4: Had a great time exploring oral hygiene, they had a parent expert come in to talk to them about this topic and experimented using disclosure tablets to see the difference in plaque accumulation if you do not brush your teeth for an adequate amount of time.

Year 5: worked on their planning and prediction skills by making parachutes that would defy gravity and give their eggs a chance when falling from the second floor onto the atrium.

Year 6: had a go at excavating fossils, what a better way to think and learn about the passing time. The pupils researched on how fossils are formed, the approximate time it takes for them to form and the intricate and time-consuming process of excavating them. They even had a look at some REAL fossils.

WCIH activities:

• Guess their heart rate competition, involvingthe PE department. Children to complete a form with a guess on their teacher’sheart rate after they had run for 4 minutes.

• Parents in class session, parents to enjoy thescience activities with the children and join their investigations andexperiments.

• Science Pocket visitors in the grand theatre toshowcase the beauty of science and ignite the children’s curiosity and affinityfor this subject.

• Parent workshop: Parents got their hands stuckin the never ending bag of questions that is science, by taking part in anexperiment in the atrium, parents experienced first hand how science is taughtin WCIH. They were fully engaged and showed great understanding how thefoundations of science lay in curiosity and questioning.

• Sunflower competition, on Friday, every   WCIH child will take a sunflower seed home, because science doesn’t need just   a week, this ongoing competition will run until June and there will be prizes   available for the tallest, healthiest and most loved sunflower.

• Parent-in-the lab sessions, this will also be anon-going experience as we will continue to periodically invite parents to joinus for in-lab experiment with the aim of promoting love for science andexpanding community collaboration.

This past week has been full of exciting events and activities centred around the wonderful world of science. From an engaging science show to parent visits, investigations and experiments, we have had an exhilarating time exploring and discovering more about the world around us. As we draw to a close, we take great pride in celebrating the success of science week at WCIH. Above all, it has been a collaborative effort where teachers, pupils, and parents alike worked closely together to ensure that our pupils received a myriad of opportunities during this special week, enriching their overall school experience. The week has exhibited courage, kindness, and teamwork, all of which are pillars of our school community.

Graham Starkey

Head of Science - Senior School

Science Week serves as a vibrant cornerstone of educational engagement, fostering curiosity and enthusiasm for scientific inquiry among pupils. This year, WCIH Senior School, the overarching theme was "Time." The week-long event aimed to ignite a fascination with the passage of time and its implications across various scientific disciplines. 

The primary purpose of Science Week at WCIH School is to immerse pupils in the wonders of science beyond the confines of traditional classroom learning. It provides a platform for hands-on exploration, encourages critical thinking, and cultivates a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and skills. 

The choice of "Time" as this year's theme was intentional, aiming to spark contemplation about how time is a fundamental measurement of many scientific enquiries. It is also the theme of British Science Week. The theme of time transcends each of the three disciplinary boundaries of the sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics, offering opportunities for interdisciplinary connections and holistic learning experiences. 

Science Week seamlessly integrates with the science curriculum of KS3, enriching pupils’ understanding of science while complementing existing practical skills. The activities during Science Week reinforce core concepts and skills, providing a more comprehensive learning experience.  

The activities in the classroom focused on introducing the concept of time through hands-on experiments, which included exploring the principles of flight time and forces by making air rockets and gliders, timing how long different dyes on M&Ms dissolved at different temperatures, how we can capture the rate of chemical reactions by using an iodine clock, and how we could time our own reaction time and compare how they contrast with our eyes open and blindfolded. Additionally, we devised a fun quiz based on the theme of time.  

The main highlight and joint activity for all Junior High and Senior School pupils was at the science assembly where the pupils had to time an object moving down a zip wire from the back of the theatre to the front stage. This concept introduced the skills of accuracy of recording data, reliability of data and how the object could change its time due to the introduction of different variables. Joint assemblies provide opportunities for pupils of different ages to be engaged in a live experiment. The assembly attempted to encourage peer-to-peer learning and foster a sense of community, showcasing the collective passion for scientific exploration. Science Week also laid on a special fun event in the theatre during Friday’s wellbeing lesson which was a fitting finale to the week.  

The assembly attempted to encourage peer-to-peer learning and foster a sense of community, showcasing the collective passion for scientific exploration. Science Week also laid on a special fun event in the theatre during Friday’s wellbeing lesson which was a fitting finale to the week. 

In conclusion, Science Week at WCIH Senior School serves as a testament to the awesome science teachers at the school and how they try every day to enthuse our students about the transformative power of scientific exploration and knowledge. I hope by delving into the theme of time, pupils embark on a journey of discovery, enriching their understanding of the scientific world we live in and inspiring a lifelong passion for inquiry.  

To conclude, Wellington College Hangzhou's Science Week 2024 was an exciting journey for all pupils as they embraced their roles as young scientists. This week-long celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics provided our pupils with a unique opportunity to explore the diverse world of science and engineering, promoting cross-curricular learning.

This year's “Time” theme resonates with our commitment to holistic education and has allowed us to reflect on the past, present, and future of these fields.The subtext of smashing stereotypes has underlined the significance of celebrating the diverse people and careers in these areas. As we move towards the future, driven by Wellington’s core values and vision, we stay devoted to fostering the upcoming generation of scientists and engineers who will mould the technology of tomorrow.

By initiatives such as smashing stereotypes, we pay homage to pioneers such as Dr Chien-Shiung Wu, whose ground breaking contributions transcend gender and nationality boundaries. Her legacy embodies the investigative spirit and perseverance that we aim to instil in our pupils at Wellington College Hangzhou.