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This is a handy resource for teachers or home educators to encourage children to think about planning an investigation. There are several different types of scientific enquiry and this is a tool for comparative or fair testing.

How to use:

Ask children to think about all the ‘things we could change’ (independent variables) and write them on sticky notes. Put these in the first section. Then think about the ‘things we could measure’ (dependent variables) and these go on sticky notes in the right hand section.

Choose which variables you are going investigate and move these to the bottom section. All of the other possible ‘things to change’ are now your control variables and can be moved to the ‘things we are going to keep the same’ section. This really helps children to think about how to make the test fair…an elusive skill even among GCSE students!

Watch the video for an example of how to use the chart to plan an investigation into launching water rockets.

Click here for the video. Suitable for sharing in class or just for ideas. Includes rockets!

Download a free copy of the chart to use in the classroom. Best printed on A3 paper.

Visit our schools page for a whole range of workshops for your school


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Christmas has arrived in the Fab Science lab!

We have a handful of dates left this year for a last minute bit of festive science. Book a ‘naughty elf’ workshop as a Christmas treat for your class. They can try out some real chemistry to sort out Mrs Christmas’ mixed up biscuit mixes and turn their hand to forensics to identify the naughty elf!

1 workshop = £150

2 workshops = £250

3 workshops = £325

4 or 5 workshops = £400

…this works out at just £80 per class or £2.67 per child!

Each workshop is for one class and is usually an hour (but can be flexible to fit around the school day). Multiple workshops must be on same day to take advantage of discounted prices. Can be adapted to work for Key Stage 1 or 2. Prices are valid within 1 hour travel time of the Fab Science lab (Bishop’s Stortford), please get in touch for a quote if you’re further away.

Available December dates are: Monday 2nd, Thursday 5th, Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th, Thursday 12th, Monday 16th.

Don’t forget we offer Fab workshops all year round. You can choose from curriculum-linked sessions for just one class or wow the whole school with an enrichment day such as Potty Potions – a Hogwarts-themed chemistry class. Every event is designed by a qualified science teacher to be 100% fun and 100% educational. Click here to go to our schools page for details.

If you would like to book a visit from Fab Science, either for our Christmas special or later in the year, please get in touch. Call 07799 624777 or email schools@fabscience.co.uk and we’ll talk you through the options.

Fab Science Elf with test tubes

 

 


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The Royal Institution offers a grant of £500 for schools to receive visits from a range of STEM enrichment providers. Applications open Wednesday 30th September and close on Friday 23rd October. Successful schools will be able to choose a visit from any provider listed in the STEM directory.

Fab Science is a member of the STEM Directory so we could bring a whole day of hands on activities to your school. We offer theme days with a big emphasis on practical work and real world science…with good dose of awe and wonder thrown in! We cover the East of England, London and the South East. If you are out of this area, visit the STEM Directory to find a provider near you.


Choose from Potty Potions (Hogwarts themed chemistry), Fantastic Forces (air pressure and rockets), Sweetie Science (great for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory literacy links) and Fab Forensics. We also have a range of curriculum-linked workshops for specific year groups such as a gruesome tour of the digestive system for Year 4 or Geology Rocks for Year 3. See our schools page for all the options. We can often adapt our sessions to fit your topic or science week theme, get in touch to chat about what we can do for your school.

Our activities are carefully designed by an experienced science teacher to enhance your science curriculum and maximise opportunities for hands on experimenting. Each session is led by two presenters (at least one of whom will be a qualified teacher), we bring all the kit and even do the washing up. A teacher’s guide is included, with information on the activities, background science and ideas for follow-up work in the classroom. This allows teachers to fully experience the workshop with their class…no need to take notes!

We can do up to 5 sessions in a day, this could be hands on sessions for 5 classes or an assembly for the whole school followed by 4 workshops for individual classes. For the grant application, a larger number of children taking part is preferable (ie, the whole school). We offer discounts for multiple day bookings to allow larger schools to have hands on workshops for all of their classes. If you obtain a grant, we are happy to invoice for any extra sessions separately and you could still take advantage of the discount.


To apply for the grant, visit https://www.rigb.org/education/stem-grants during the application window. If you plan to apply for funding for a visit from Fab Science, please get in touch if you would like any help with the application.