PUPILS made marshmallow 'buildings' and learnt about marine biology at a packed school science day.

Larkrise Primary School in East Oxford welcomed experts to host a wide range of workshops last week, leaving children wide-eyed at their discoveries.

Scientists visited last Thursday from universities and research institutes, coordinated by parent Camilla Ip, and teachers Penelope Lea and Gemma Golds.

Pupils of all ages took part to coincide with British Science Week, learning about genetics, immunology, antibiotics, red kite ecology, maths and engineering, astronomy and optics, geology, earthquakes, and conservation.

ALSO READ: New Oxford hub for science and tech start ups

Headteacher Jon Gray said it was 'brilliant', adding: "We are so grateful that so many scientists and parents came to share their expertise with our children.

"They provided experiences for our children that we just could not replicate on our own."

Year 3 pupil Felicity said: "The whole day was so cool - when I grow up, I want to be a marine biologist and save the planet."

Another pupil said her favourite activity was during the earthquake workshop, when children were challenged to make a building using marshmallows and spaghetti.

Children also got to see the crystal-covered insides of a geode rock, extract DNA from a strawberry and learnt about the science of rainbows.

They were also said to be 'captivated' by tales of how red kite birds look for nesting sites, and even learnt about the conservation of Antarctic penguin colonies.

Azim Ansari helped pupils play a whole-class card game, to demonstrate how the human immune system works.

He said: "I really enjoyed interacting with the kids and hearing what they knew about coronavirus. It was good to talk to them in an honest and accurate way to minimise their anxieties and fears."