Students and staff from Forth Valley College used their expertise to introduce more than 100 nursery and primary school pupils to the world of science recently.
Eastertoun Primary School in Armadale held a Science Fair on Thursday 8 February and volunteers from FVC’s Science (Department of Applied Science, Maths and Mechanical Engineering) and Early Years (Department of Care Health and Sport) students helped inspire the youngsters throughout the day.
The workshops consisted of basic science experiments, and this allowed the children to carry them out themselves. The P7s in particular, really enjoyed their workshop about forces and building and shooting rockets – the record being 46m. They also created a huge marshmallow man and learned science magic tricks. The Nursery kids were also treated to some puppet fun from lecturer Kerstin Doig and Curriculum Manager Fiona Jackson to help explain the results of the tests.
Fiona Jackson, Curriculum Manager in the Department of Applied Science, Maths and Mechanical Engineering, said: “We were delighted to help Eastertoun Primary School out during their Science Fair week. It looked as if both the nursery and primary school kids enjoyed themselves and learned a lot from the workshops. I know for a fact that experience like this really benefits our students, so it is a win, win for everyone.”
Joanne Finlayson, a Nursery Teacher at Easteroun, said: “The children had a thoroughly enjoyable time. They were able to explore new concepts through learning experiences that really grasped their attention and interest. Following the Science fair we have definitely seen an enhanced interest in enquiry and investigation through play. We hope for future opportunities to be involved in experiences like this!”