Last week was National Science Week and the theme of ‘Innovation: Powering Future Industries’ was integrated into activities at ERC. Many students were able to join various activities that were held each day, deepening their understanding of ways we can help power the future.

Tuesday students were crafting balloon rockets to race against their peers. The balloon rockets were constructed from a single plastic bottle, a balloon, and a straw. The great minds behind the designs competed to see who would be the first to have their rocket travel across the length of string. Congratulations to all the students that experimented with their rocket designs and those who got their rocket to the finish line.

Wednesday involved students learning about some indigenous inventions such as bush soap, grinding stones, and shellfish traps. Students were able to understand how these inventions were created and why they were used. We then moved on to crafting functional boomerangs out of thick sheets of paper. These boomerangs were tested inside the science labs at school, and great flight paths were seen from the students. The session ended with some friendly competition in a short Kahoot quiz about Indigenous inventions.

Thursday great minds created a working motor using a battery pack, copper coil, and magnets. The interaction between the electric and magnetic fields forced the copper coil to start spinning. Students were then in charge of keeping the coil spinning for as long as possible. A second challenge to craft the furthest flying paper aeroplane was held towards the end of the lunch break. Once the planes were built, students were lined up to throw their creations with a powerful arm and see whose had reached the furthest distance.

Finally on Friday, students were able to investigate water pumps by creating one using recycled plastic bottles, a balloon, straws, and water. The students were able to learn about the power of pressure when they visualised water flowing out of the bottle when an inflated balloon was placed on top of the bottle.

Additionally, a ‘Guess What’s in the Box’ competition was held for all students throughout the week. Each day a clue was given to students as a hint to what might have been hidden away in the box. Student guesses were placed inside the mystery box and the winning entry was pulled out on Friday afternoon. This winning entry had belonged to William Hall from year 10 with his guess of a hydraulic robot arm. Congratulations William, we hope you enjoy building and testing out your hydraulic hand.

A massive thank you to all the science staff for all the efforts this week and running activities during lunch. It is great to see such a wonderful opportunity provided to students once again.

Miss Bawden
Science Teacher