Year 5 children from thirteen primary schools in the local area visited Bolton School Girls’ Division to take part in the Primary Science Challenge. This was an exciting opportunity for them to work in the school’s science labs and perform their own experiments.
Working in teams of four, the primary pupils lit their candle using a wooden splint, then placed jars with different volumes over the top and timed how long it took for them to go out. They then used water and measuring cylinders to find the volume of each jar and plotted their results on a graph. The final part of the challenge was to then use their graph to predict the time taken for a volume that they hadn't tested.
As well as completing practical work, the Year 5s were encouraged to think about how to make it a fair test, why the candle went out and how they could most easily work out the jars’ volume using the equipment. They also had fun with a science quiz.
Following the experiments, and while Sixth Form helpers calculated each team’s score, the Girls’ Division science staff and technicians showed the children some chemistry demonstrations.
It was a really close competition, and came down to the plotting of points on the top two teams’ graphs, but finally the results were in! The overall winners were Beacon Primary with St Peter’s Smithills coming in second place.
Both teams were presented with trophies by Mrs Power, the Girls’ Division Coordinator of Science, and all of the groups received certificates as well.
You can view a gallery of photos from the event below:
