Year 5 at Herstmonceux

On Tuesday 15th March, Year 5 went on a superbly informative and interesting trip to Herstmonceux Science Centre to tie in with National Science Week. The emphasis was on 'hands on' learning and there were numerous practical demonstrations of scientific concepts. The weather was beautiful and the children therefore got to use the excellent outdoor facilities as well, including the science discovery park, the 'water planet' area and some 'sound dishes'. In addition, the children had tours of two of the telescopes left behind when the Royal Greenwich Observatory moved to Cambridge, and they started to realise how small and insignificant the Earth is in comparison with the Universe! The highlight of the day had to be the Science show, headed by a charismatic chemist with the prerequisite tattered white coat. This included lots of explosive experiments and demonstrations which kept the children enthralled. It also allowed the children to consolidate their learning about Solids, Liquids and Gases that they had covered during the term.