Schools may close for half-term, but that doesn’t stop the Wonderseekers Equity, Community Engagement and Outreach (ECO) team from bringing science fun and learning to children across our region. During October half term 2024, as a result of our existing relationships with local communities, the team headed to Good Grub Club in Millbrook, Southampton, and Leigh Park Library, Havant, for some interactive science fun investigating earthquakes and micro-organisms. These activities form part of our Charity’s aim to reach children who may not traditionally have the opportunity to engage with science.
First, it was back to Millbrook for another Good Grub Club, a free initiative which brings families together to cook healthy meals, discover budget-friendly recipes, and get involved with different activities. The ECO team often deliver science activities at Good Grub Clubs across the Hampshire area. The first challenge was to build a tower out of K’nex to see how many bean bags it could hold. Fun fact, in every session that ECO have run this activity, at least one tower has held the weight of 82 bean bags! Then, the towers were put to the ultimate test, can they survive an earthquake? One-by-one the towers were placed on a shake table, which tilts from side-to-side, getting faster and faster.
The next stop was Leigh Park Library where the team spent the day exploring the mini world of microbes (tiny living things). The workshop, developed by Jordan, one of our ECO Inspirers, saw the children get creative, drawing their own microbe communities on filter paper. They discovered the role of bacteria in our gut health when pushing K’nex through large postal tubes to simulate bacteria sliding through intestines into the gut. Ending with a relay race to see who could collect the most bean bags. The game demonstrated how some bacteria can help plants gather nutrients. The session was a great way for the children to learn about different types of microbes, like bacteria and yeast, and the environments they live in such as cheese.
Jordan said: “It was really fun to see the workshop come to life. It was interesting to see how the children took my original ideas and made them their own.”
Erin, another of our ECO Inspirers said: “I enjoyed going to Leigh Park Library and Good Grub Club because we already have connections with families that attend these events, so, it’s nice to catch up with them and see what they’ve been up to since we last saw them.”
Community engagement activities are part of our Charity’s aim to proactively increase opportunities available for children to engage with science and the natural world. Our ECO team work closely with schools, children, and their families, running activities that bring the wonder of science directly to them. By working with families and children in their local spaces, where they feel most comfortable, we’re able to engage people who may not have traditionally viewed science as for them.
