Discovering the wonders of science

Science, here at St Ives Preparatory School, is guided by several key guiding pedagogies. Science has to be as hands-on as we can make it. Science has to be relevant to the boys’ lives, their interests and their passions. Science should get the boys wondering about the world and then scientifically investigating its wonders.

While focusing on our scientific explorations in Year 3–6 in this article, it is important to acknowledge the fabulous hands-on scientific learning in Preschool to Year 2, wonderfully led and orchestrated by Mrs Michele Bondurant-Scott.

From an early age, our boys are encouraged to observe, note details and then ‘get their hands dirty’ investigating the science around them. For some, this can be a little daunting as many boys don’t like making mistakes, and the idea of ‘experimenting’ rather than ‘completing’ can sometimes seem counterproductive. While Science is indeed about learning content (knowledge and understandings about their world and how it works) it hinges on processes of thinking, planning an investigation, and iterating, and reiterating to discover different results and uncover the complexities within what we are seeing.

To quote Einstein, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” So true!

In Years 3–6 we are constantly thinking, planning, experimenting, and learning content based on what we are exploring. Year 3 start the year by looking at the water cycle, followed by water treatment, pollution and finally weathering and erosion.

Did you know that every time you drink water, take a shower, or have a cup of tea, you are drinking the same water that T-Rex drank? Did you know that water levels on Earth haven’t changed in nearly 4.4 billion years? Amazing!

Year 4 boys start the year experimenting with forces. They investigate the effects of gravity and friction, using toy cars and a ramp, to calculate a car’s velocity as it travels down a slope (incredibly, at 5km/hr! That’s 125km/h if you scale up the car’s size).

The boys also experiment with buoyancy using water and spring balances, as well as air resistance, building a variety of bin-bag parachutes and timing their descent.

Pictured: Buoyancy investigations using spring balances

Later in the year, they delve into biomes and habitats. They design, maintain, and grow a biome of their own choosing, including desert, rainforest and savannah. Their focus points for the experiment are the energy flow within that system, and the system’s self-sustainability.

Finally, they embark on a voyage into the depths of space, travelling to the eight planets in the solar system and learning about their structure and composition. Boys learn about our Sun (Sol) and what fuels this star. They are introduced to extreme gravity, light speed, and interplanetary distances.

Pictured: Space, the final frontier!

Year 5 boys investigate natural disasters, adaptations, sustainability, and electricity. The boys create soda volcanoes and earthquake detection devices. (Did you know that the 1883 Krakatoa volcano eruption caused the global temperature to fall by 2.2 degrees Celsius? It also created beautiful global sunsets for a year, and the explosion was heard in Alice Springs 3,601km away.)

They also create hurricanes and tornadoes in conical flasks and test the speed of the ‘twister’ at different positions of the vortex, using paper clips, string, and the degree of deflection it creates. Boys also design and model alien lifeforms, using their knowledge of adaptations from Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and environmental conditions to assist them.

Pictured: Ignition!

Year 6 boys focus on the weather and climate. Luckily, we have seen some amazing weather systems pass over Sydney, including thunder and lightning. The boys ask some amazing questions and carry out research to answer them.

Did you know that the colour of a lightning bolt often depends on the heat of the electrical discharge, and the levels of nitrogen, hydrogen, or oxygen in the atmosphere? Lightning bolts can reach temperatures of 30,000 degrees Celsius, which is as hot as the surface of the Sun! In addition, they can be white, purple, blue, green, pink, and yellow in colour.

Our Year 6 boys dive into the topic of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. They also delve into the human body, learning about the skeleton, circulatory system and heart, and muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Pictured: ‘Fun Guys’ to be with!

The highlight of the session is a marrow bone dissection, during which the boys truly get ‘hands on’ with a real bone, looking at the marrow, nerve tissue, blood vessels, and the muscle and ligament attachments. Boys also investigate muscle movement and strength and design a simple test to assess and graph muscle and heart efficiencies.

Finally, Year 6 boys design and construct balsa wood gliders, as part of our unit on Flight – great fun, albeit with a few nose-dives!

Pictured: Eyes on a tail spin!

Primary Science at St Ives is all about getting up close and personal with the unit of inquiry, but most importantly, having fun. Happy, intrigued and active pupils are engaged and appreciate the love of learning.

Pictured: Year 3 boys mapping recycled water locations

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