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Science Week

Over 300 students from Abbey Meads primary school enjoyed a brilliant science week in June 2008, exploring ideas around four key themes:

• light and dark
• how animals see
• technology
• and optics and colour

It began with a teacher training day in May. During that day Ian Dunne, a scientist, took the first half of day introducing the scientific ideas and context around light and colour, In the afternoon artist Jonathan Hayter, from Figure of Speech, introduced them to art principles and ideas around light and colour including shadow puppets.

Great Success

Flux Co-ordinator Ella Bissett Johnson explained how the teacher training day was key to the success of the Science Week a couple of months later.

"Throughout the week we worked with all 300 children - with each class twice, as well as whole school events, and in groups. The students explored arts and science through the four themes, and worked with their teachers as fellow researchers rather than the teachers being in charge.

"Tracy Dangerfield, the Science Coordinator, and Marilyn Brown, the Headteacher, were both absolutely fundamental in supporting this project and for the teachers to feel comfortable and confident in experimenting in this way.

"The teachers responded really positively, it was a different experience for them but they were absolutely brilliant in translating these big concepts into manageable chunks for their young people and it was absolutely amazing.

"In just two examples of work, some children studied Mark Rothko and created their own shadow puppets, and others looked at synthesia, where senses are mixed, and created their own work in the style of Kandinsky.

"There were eleven different classes and all were brilliant because of the extraordinary support and interest of the staff. Each class really excelled in whatever they were exploring because their teachers pitched it so well."

"It was a great success."