UTC Oxfordshire in Didcot welcomed Year 4 children from the town's Aureus Primary School and let them join in with science experiments to celebrate British Science Week.
They discovered the properties of liquid nitrogen and sampled ‘cryogenic’ ice cream.
They also took part in a flame test investigation, identifying metal ions and finally had to guess what they could see by looking through microscopes at a variety of samples including blood cells, heart muscle, tree stems and pollen.
It was only their second school outing - they have missed a lot due to Covid restrictions, so staff were pleased to see them engaging in science and experiencing something new.
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On March 17, the excited Aureus children arrived and were split into three groups, ready to take part in a series of fun activities.
UTC Oxfordshire’s Head of Science Kieran Hughes, said: “It was fantastic to see younger students excited by the science tasks on offer and I was really impressed with their science knowledge. All of the staff involved at the UTC thoroughly enjoyed hosting and look forward to doing something similar in the future.”
Ms Roberts, Head of Aureus School, said: “Thank you for organising the event. The children were so enthused by the visit and the opportunity to experience science beyond the primary curriculum.”
Ms McGibbon, Aureus Year 4 teacher, said:“The children thought it was absolutely amazing and they learnt so much. Us adults really enjoyed it too!”
Group one learned all about the art of cryogenics (the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures).
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UTC Oxfordshire was the first school in the country to build its own cryogenics lab, so the teachers love showing off what it can do.
The children explored the properties of liquid nitrogen; they were able to feel the cold from the gas produced as the liquid boiled at just over -190°C, discovered what happens to a rose if frozen in liquid nitrogen and saw how metal contracts when it is chilled. The children were also excited to try a sample of cryogenic ice cream. They also experienced a range of physics demonstrations including using a Van de Graaff generator, a Ruben’s tube to visualise sound waves and prisms to split white light into rainbows.
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The pupils then went from ice to fire as they took part in a flame test investigation identifying metal ions. Four metal salt solutions were tested using a Bunsen burner, each gave a different colour of flame.
The children then had an unknown solution which they had to test using the information they had just gathered to identify which metal was present.
British Science Week earlier this month was a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths.
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