Discover Materials

Shows & Workshops

Duration: 60 min

Suitable For: FS, KS1

This workshop ordinarily requires a lot of one-on-one interaction with children from the presenter, and plenty of adult supervision! To try to reduce potential risks, we are preparing additional materials to assist in the making of slime; we will require a screen or projector for display, and at least one adult from the school per table of 6-8 children.

In this exciting, hands-on workshop, we start with a discussion about the materials different objects are made from, and why their properties are suitable for different applications. Children will use their observations and prior knowledge to predict which items will bounce and which will break when dropped. We carefully ensure that we use a wide range of everyday materials to allow every child to contribute to the discussion. While most objects are well known to the majority of children, there are still a few that behave in a surprising way! This allows us to question their understanding and to give opportunities for students to think more deeply about what has happened and why it has happened that way.

After working with these familiar materials, each child will then be tasked with making something brand new – their own slime! With adult support, they will measure out different ingredients, combine them together and observe how the properties change as they react to make a new substance.

When their slime is complete, they then have the opportunity to investigate its properties. Does it bounce or break? Does it stretch or rip? Is it hard or soft? Our workshop leader will encourage children to share with each other what they have each discovered, especially focussing on similarities and differences and what could be causing these.

Curriculum links:

Documents:

Risk Assessment for Discover Materials

Contact our schools team with any questions on [email protected]

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If you're looking to book an activity, please fill out the form below or contact us on 01865 810000.

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We would usually expect one member of Science Oxford staff to be able to provide three activities in a day. Most of our shows are suitable for up to 60 children and most of our workshops for up to 30 children. We will create a draft timetable for you based on the information you provide below.

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For more information about any of our shows or workshops, please take a look at the list here. If you would like to discuss any aspect of a visit to your school with a member of our team, please email [email protected] or call us on 01865 810000, or add more information in the Comments section below. This is also recommended if you would like to book multiple days or presenters. A member of our team will be in touch shortly.

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