Bang! Fizz! Pop! In the Girls’ Science Block!

BANG! FIZZ! POP! The Girls’ School Science block was a noisy place this week as our youngest scientists got busy. In conjunction with New Zealand Primary Science Week, ‘Science in a Van’ paid a special visit to our Year 1 to 3 students to teach them about the periodic table, materials, colour, bubbles and reactions.

The room was abuzz as the girls watched a range of experiments using different forms of liquids, solids and gases. The girls particularly liked watching how frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) reacted with water and disappeared into a gas. They also enjoyed observing the difference in reaction when bubbles were filled with either carbon dioxide gas to helium. It took our young scientists by surprise when they discovered the carbon dioxide gas turns bubbles white and makes them quickly drop to the floor, while helium does the opposite. 

The girls were taken on a journey through the scientific process of making predictions, testing their predictions and discussing their outcomes.

This term, the students are focusing on the study of colour and bubbles, and will investigate how bubbles are made, their colours and reflections, and reactions when mixed with different materials, so this was a perfect demonstration to get them started.

This was a great learning experience for the girls as they gained a greater understanding about materials and their reactions.