Science Intent Statement

At Therfield First School, we encourage our children to be naturally curious about the world around them, fostering a sense of awe and wonder. We provide a stimulating, engaging and challenging learning environment, with an emphasis on outdoor and real-life learning.  Pupils are encouraged to develop and use a range of working scientifically skills, including, questioning, researching and observing for ourselves. Carefully planned activities allow children to learn the essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science.

As pupils progress, we prepare them for an increasingly scientific and technological world.  Through investigative science, pupils will continue to deepen their respect for the natural world and increase their care and appreciation of it.

KJAR Science Fair 2024

On Wednesday 3rd July, Year 3/4 pupils from the local town and village schools were invited to KJAR to take part in a BIG BANG Science Fair to showcase and celebrate science. Last week, Rooks Nest class undertook an experiment in the classroom to investigate whether it was possible to bend a beam of light. The children tested lots of different materials inside a dark den. They found that it was possible to bend a beam of light if the light was reflected off a smooth and shiny surface; with a mirror being the best. We then used this as the focus for our display at the Science Fair. Mrs Oram and I worked with the children to create the visual presentation, giving it a superhero theme. The question from the superhero was ‘Can I laser beam the enemy if he is standing behind me? The three display boards showcased the science journey that the children went on. Audience members were invited to step into the dark den to test this out for themselves, earning a mission accomplished sticker if they were successful in bending the light to hit the ‘Slimer’ enemy that was stuck at the back of the den. The various stands on display were visited by the Year 5 and 6 pupils from KJAR and the Year 3 and 4 pupils from most of the local First Schools. Orson, Bella, Naomi and Seb were chosen to lead the stand presentations and they did phenomenally. Wearing a purple superhero cape and eye mask, the children were amazing at sharing the science behind the experiment and overseeing the dark den visits. We had by far the busiest stand at the fair, with over 350 children visiting our dark den. Deservedly so, our school stand won the prestigious title of Best Visual Presentation. Go Team Therfield!

STEM Week - Science Afternoon 2023 

To finish our exciting STEM week, it was time for our science afternoon. We chose the theme of 'awe and wonder - the magic of science' to inspire and excite the children. There is so much about science to discover in the world, but relatively little that we get to explore in depth within a school year. It is always lovely to be able to branch outside the curriculum to give children a wider understanding of science in action. The children took part in three activities throughout the day: 

1. Magic Ink: Children used special dry wipe pens to draw designs on a plate. They slowly poured water on and watched as their picture 'danced' around. The children thought about the affect of the different colour pens and the size and style of their drawings. They felt like magicians! 

2. Magnetic Mazes: In small groups, the children designed a maze using Lego. They used magnetic wands underneath the maze to navigate a small magnet on the top from one end to the other. The children loved using the magnets as this is something they don't get much time to explore at school. IT provoked lots of wonderful conversations about how magnets work and what else they could be used for.

3. Balloon Blow-up!: The children were able to observe a balloon begin blown up simply by a reaction between lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda. KS2 children were able to experiment with changing some of the quantities to see what the affects would be. 

Therfield Science Day 2022 - Awe and Wonder 

In the summer term, we had a wonderful, whole school Science day! The aim of the day was to create 'Awe and Wonder'; developing the children's enthusiasm and interest in Science. We had a focus of chemical reactions in which the children had a range of opportunities to create and observe. The children took part in six different activities: lava lamps, rainbow skittles, film cannister rockets, invisible ink, honeycomb and slime. 

The day was a huge success.  As the bell for the end of break time rang, children could be heard chanting 'WE LOVE SCIENCE' as they lined up ready for their next activity.  This was another example of the school motto 'Bringing Learning to Life' being observed in action.