The Imperial College's outreach team led by Jennifer Cooke prepared a number of fun, interactive and hands on experiments with the children. On their first visit to the nursery the outreach team prepared 3 different chromatography experiments. Chromatography is a separation technique of mixtures into its components.
The first activity involved the children drawing dots on coffee filter paper with coloured markers and placing the paper in small cups with water. The second activity involved skittles, the children placed skittles on a plate and poured water over them. The children were amazed to see the different colours drawn out from the skittles and dots marked on the coffee filter.
The third experiment involved a lava lamp. The outreach team brought prepared bottles of solution which the children added effervescent vitamin tablet too and observed the different components separating in the bottles. On their second visit, the outreach team organised a dry ice demonstration in the secret garden. Jennifer Cooke explained to the children that carbon dioxide can also be a solid, in the form of dry ice. She prepared activities that showed how dry ice reacts to different components.
For example, Jennifer added some dry ice to a conical flask filled with water and the children saw water vapour and carbon dioxide gas form. The children particularly enjoyed watching dry ice inflating a balloon as well as observing bubbles being created when dry ice was added to a water, washing up liquid and food colour mixture.
Over all the children thoroughly enjoyed each experiment and demonstration by the outreach team, they not only learnt many scientific facts, but they also had lots of fun doing so. A big thank to Jennifer and her team for taking part in science month with us!