Light Bulb Moments in Year 4 Science 13th June 2025 Science Mrs P-S and Mr B challenged to children to build simple working circuits this week in their Global Science lessons. Each child was given a cell, two wires and either a bulb, motor or buzzer that they had to make work and there was a real buzz in the air as the children saw science in action each time they completed a circuit. Some circuits did not initially work so pairs combined to try and find out why and solve the problem. The children were also encouraged to predict what would happen if additional cells were added to a circuit and this was then tested with results that surprised some.
Year 5 Look Closer at Owl Pellets 13th June 2025 Global Science After their trip to The Big Wood Estate, Year 5 have been spending time dissecting some owl pellets and finding all sorts of interesting small mammal bones. The children used microscopes to really look closely at these bones and try to identify what they are.
Sustainable Farming at The Bigwood Estate 6th June 2025 Global Science On Tuesday, Year 5 were treated to a trip to the Bigwood Estate, near Blindley Heath. There, we met David, who took us on a tour of the farm and told us all about how sustainable they are. We met Peppa and Thelma, the English Saddleback Pigs with two of their 7-week-old piglets and a small herd of young heifers, who were incredibly curious! We learned that you can make a perfectly good anti-bacterial soap from horse-chestnut leaves, that pigs are pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days, and owls ingeniously throw up the bones of small rodents in parcel shaped pellets. We can’t wait for a return visit. At the end of our trip Year 5 were presented with some owl pellets to look at in more detail in their next science lesson. So, that’s exactly what we did! First, we soaked the pellets to soften them and then we carefully took them apart with tweezers. What we found absolutely amazed us; tiny bones, skulls, miniscule teeth and lots of fur! In our next science lesson, we will use the microscopes to investigate even further and try to identify the bones.
Explosive Journey Down the Food Canal with The Royal Institution 23rd May 2025 Pre-prep Science As part of their Global science, Year 1 through to Year 6 were treated to an amazing science show at Caterham School by the Royal Institution thanks to Caterham Prep’s science department. Children enjoyed learning how some foods can explode. Most importantly they learnt how our digestive system works and what happens to food once we have eaten it! Despite some squeamish moments as we saw the journey down the small intestine, the children thoroughly enjoyed the show. The Royal Institution are behind the amazing series of Christmas Lectures with presenters from David Attenborough to Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock later this year – click here to check them out. Thank you for inviting us Caterham Prep!