Mini-Beast Invasion
Years 7 and 8 shared their Science lab with a grass snake, a blue-tongued skink, a frilled-neck lizard, a tortoise, a terrapin, a cockroach and a tarantula as Cobham Hall was invaded by an array of mini-beasts. The creatures were part of a workshop discussing and demonstrating structural differences, and how animals adapt to different habitats. Head of Science Mr Fryer explained why he organised the workshops, “Seeing the animals in the flesh makes the subject all the more real. The students also gain a greater respect for the animals.”
Parents Enter Lab
The Science lab was full of eager pupils on Saturday morning, but instead of the girls, it was their parents! Following on from a previous successful Parent Workshop, Head of Science, Mr Fryer, decided to again open his lab for parents of our Year 7s. Explaining why, Mr Fryer said, “A key reason for offering these sessions to parents is to allow them to experience what their daughters do in a typical Science lesson.” It was a morning of discovery for the ‘students’ as they began to understand the pressure of following the instructions exactly, but the elation of successfully carrying out an experiment and seeing the result. Parents carried out several experiments including diffusion, chromatography, and making a temporary slide of onion cells and using a microscope to observe a cell nucleus, and separating salt from a mixture of sand and salt, by filtration and then evaporation.
Spring Chickens
Mr Fryer’s Year 7 Science class were thrilled when the first of the fertilised eggs that were delivered began to hatch during their lesson. The presence of the eggs, and subsequently the chicks, give girls the chance to experience first-hand just how rapid the development is from fresh hatchling to the cute, fluffy chicks we recognise. “As always,” explained Head of Science Mr Fryer, “respect for the chicks is absolutely paramount. Their presence prompts the girls to not only understand and witness their growth, but opens wider debate around farming, vegetarianism, and care for animals.” Staff and pupils throughout the School were invited to visited the chicks at lunchtimes. Once the chicks had developed, girls had the opportunity to handle them. For many this meant overcoming fear – including fear of hurting the chicks, or fear of being pecked. Many girls took the opportunity, and for many it the first time they had held a chick.
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