Learning and Teaching
Scienceworks - Year 3 and 4 excursion
The Year 3 and 4 students recently enjoyed an excursion to Scienceworks, where their learning came to life through hands-on experiences and exploration.
During their visit, students participated in a Rollercoaster Workshop, where they investigated how forces such as gravity, friction and momentum affect the movement of objects. Working collaboratively, they designed and tested their own rollercoasters, applying their understanding of these scientific concepts in a fun and practical way.
Students also explored a range of interactive exhibits that sparked curiosity and deepened their understanding of science in the real world. From experimenting with energy and motion to discovering how different systems work, the students were highly engaged and enthusiastic throughout the day. This excursion provided a valuable opportunity for students to connect their classroom learning with real-world applications, while fostering curiosity, creativity and a love of science.
Back in class, the students recounted some of what they experienced across the day. Here are some of their thoughts:
We went to the Rollercoaster Engineers activity and we made a roller coaster out of a rubber track. We had some other materials like big lego blocks, a stool and tunnel block things. Harper
We went to the Think Ahead exhibition and there was this one part that everyone went to. It was like you could make your future self and collect gems and if you were too slow they would move somewhere else. Habib
We went to the STEM lab to do a rollercoaster engineers activity. We made little roller coasters. You could put a wooden ball on it. Alexander
We went to the pumping station. There was an old pump from a really long time ago that still works. Finlay
The second thing we did was the roller coaster. We were put into groups. We did one loop and 2 hills and a tunnel. It started on the stool and we also put jackets to make it higher. We had to test it a lot and at the end we got it to work. Kai
We went to the sports area. There was a lot of fun things to do there like race Cathy Freeman, wheelchair race, netball shooting, gymnastics judging and reaction time. Alexis
My group went into a room where we did the Roller coaster engineers activity. The teacher put me into a group of 3 and we built a roller coaster that did one loop and a ramp that jumped into a hole of a block and a steep fall. Tom
Think ahead was very interesting. It was about the future with lots of games and stuff. Ryan
We went to the pumping station exhibition and they had boilers that went up and down. There were coins on it while it was going up and down but they weren’t falling off! Poppy
Deborah Courtney
(Director of Learning and Teaching)