During National Science Week, we will be hosting a number of in-class activities for our primary school students. The original plan to design and build a pollinator garden has been postponed due to voluntary biosecurity measures being put into place to protect our farm animals from the increased risk of bird flu in our area. We will, however, include discussions about pollinators and the importance of pollinator gardens and biodiversity at appropriate times during the replacement activities.

The new planned activities will include:

• Gravitropism experiments with tomato seedlings to see how changing the directional position of the plant will impact its growth
• Choice Chambers for mealworms to see how changes to the environment impact mealworm populations and migration
• Using the scientific method to make the best mentos and diet coke fountain with temperature being the variable
• Density Challenge to layer different liquids in a tube without them mixing together
• Germinating seeds in clear agar in petri dishes to observe the process
• Zero gravity seed germination experiment using an Arduino Clinostat to simulate plants growing in space
• Making seed bombs and grass heads
• Using chemical reactions to blow up balloons and observe the differences between the gases produced
• Exploring reversible and irreversible reactions
• Colours of Science activities including a universal indicator rainbow in a measuring cylinder, mixtures in bottles that change colour when shaken, making patterns on thermochromic contact using ice and finger/hand prints

These activities will take place during class time. During these activities, the Media Club (Secondary students) will be taking photos for the school newsletter and producing a video to be played at the primary assembly, which parents are warmly invited to attend.

Break time activities will include opportunities to explore electricity circuits, build a soldier fly farm and use chemical reactions to fuel a rocket.