Header An affair of the science mind
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
Last week lost teeth held back from the tooth-fairy, bee-phobias, volcanic ideas and eggs transformed into bouncy balls all made for an exciting evening at the Manugaraki School?s annual science fair. The school has just finished a term of scientific investigation, and are celebrating the culmination of their learning by showing off to parents. Principle Carmen Jennings says the evening is a wonderful time for adults to discover just what their kids get up to at school. ?There has been a lot of investigation, planning, and analysis gone into these displays, the kids have really been involved.? After the chaos of setting up every classroom?s displays, ?There was more order with wonderful displays taking pride of place in the hall. ?The different sections of the school have concentrated on different aspects, like the middle school looked into bees,? says Mrs Jennings. The evening showcased works from all of the 261 children at the school. Years three and four indulged in electrical mayhem by building all sorts of circuits to make a light flash. ?One five-year-old suggested they use the hexagonal colour-spectrums on their computers for an experiment testing different shades of green. ?I thought that was a most innovative idea for someone that age,? says Mrs Jennings. Year seven student Alana Kirby investigated which substances dissolve egg-shell the quickest. ?I boiled the eggs and then put one in water and one in vinegar.? She then left the two test cases in a window sill and waited a week for the outcome. ?The vinegar-egg had a horrible smell, and when I rubbed the shell it just dissolved. ?It was really tough and you could even bounce it like a rubber ball,? she says. Year five students William Foster and Kayleigh Fraser looked into other students? phobia off bees and wasps, discovering wasps were by far the most feared. The schools best displays will be entered at the NIWA Wellington Regional Science and Technology Fair held in August.
