A science lesson to blow their socks off please..

[robinpud]

It's science week at school and my firstday on Thursday working with a year 3 class I will be covering for the rest of the year. I am not a year 3 person.. this is a step up from my normal age group. I want to do an inspiring practical science session that will endear me to them . We have various resources but have just moved into a brand new build and I'm not sure where too much is..

Any experts who can fire up my creativity please?

spudmasher - our middle school does but then we teach in science labs. Many of my friends who teach in primary and first schools dont though unfortunately

ooooh water mountain stuff....year 6 love it but may be trickier for little ones

You can get filter paper on ebay I did the Smartie thing with FS class a few weeks ago

the custard thing is to prove that a liquid can be solid, make up custard and then handle it keeping it moving, did this on braniacs and also that channel 4 documentary about the kids going of to school

Mixt the corn startch or custard powder with water until it resembles single cream.

Poke you finger slowly into it.....it is a liquid, pull your finger out fast, and it will grip you like a solid! you can compress it to make a ball, when you relex your hands it will run between your fingers.

It is a non-newtonian liquid. the physics behind it is high tech and past A level, but it can be used as a fun intro into the properties of solids and liquids! (great for fights in the back garden as well....just hose them down at the end!)

Oh, you are all lovely. I am going to do Smarties thing; probably the cornflour thing..(first covering entire brand new pale green carpet somehow!) and then maybe which ball bounces highest type investigation. I'll also look at all those sites mrz linked to.

I have somehow accured quite a collection of teeth.. as you do, but am not sure I am ready to immerse them in coke and let them vanish. Perhaps when the kids are slightly older and I am less dewy eyed.

In the meantime, thank you all and if you should ever find yourselves marooned in a KS1 classroom, and in need of help, I will gladly repay the favours!

Thanks

cheap shower curtains for the carpet - cheaper than the polythene stuff from b and q

If you ever really want to get messy, then you can actually run on a cornflour/water mixture, which is dead impressive.

I always like a bit of kitchen chemistry - pH indicator from red cabbage, extracting the gluten from flour, and marshmallows in a vacuum. Somehow, it seems very real to kids.

Your children will know the cornflour experiment as it is a favourite in the Foundation Stage so will have lots of fun.