Science Challenge at Bradfield College
Four Davenies boys represented the School at Bradfield College Prep Schools’ Science Challenge, where they experienced an inspiring day of all things science; here, Arjun, Brontë, Monty and Sebastian (Year 5) recount their exciting day…
The trip to Bradfield was exciting and educational at the same time and we had a really fun time! We were chosen to represent Davenies in their Science Challenge. The Challenge was split into three different sections: chemistry, biology, and physics. Chemistry and biology were first followed by physics. In each section we did a practical experiment and then answered some questions about the experiment. We also had a delicious snack of chocolate cookies!
Once we arrived, we did our first activity which was chemistry. We had to make a refrigerator liquid by mixing chemicals (citric acid and sodium bicarbonate) then record our findings and answer questions. We added the powder each time to see what happened. It made the liquid colder and we knew because we used a thermometer.
The biology practical was split into two parts. There was a 30-minute timer on the board, so we split into two groups of two and each did one part for 15 minutes and then switched. The first part was looking into three different microscopes and identifying whether the leaf inside each of them was from a dry part of land, a water leaf, or a leaf from the UK For the second part we placed ten maggots in a petri dish that was half black and half transparent. Every 15 seconds we had to see how many maggots were in the black side and how many maggots were in the transparent side. We then counted the total on each side and then calculated the average for each.
Finally, for the physics practical there was an electromagnet made by the college students and we had to make an amplifier using a piece of wire and two pieces of paper. To make the amplifier we wrapped one of the pieces of paper around a cylinder provided and made a cone shape with the other and then attached them together. We decorated them with planets. A teacher came around and checked whether our amplifier worked and played a song to the room.
At the end of the day, we watched a science show. We saw balloons exploding and other amazing science experiments such as clear liquids pouring into glasses and it was incredible observing the colour changes! It’s just amazing how they do it and it was a wonderful day!
It was a great afternoon, and I really enjoyed working as a team with my friends! It was an honour to represent Davenies!
Arjun, Brontë, Monty and Sebastian (Year 5)
