Keeping you up-to-date with engaging and inspiring activities that will develop young children and encourage them to learn both at home and in the classroom
In celebration of British Science Week, we’re going to tell you all about plants, their structure, the process of photosynthesis and how bees and insects play a massive part in pollination and growing our food.
We’ve also written a children’s guide to growing fruit and vegetables, so take a look and get planting!
Planning activities for the children and getting them to eat enough fruit and vegetables can be tricky. So, we’ve come up with a fun solution to achieve both — a fruit and vegetable growing cheatsheet for kids!
This downloadable and printable guide teaches children a valuable life skill, gets them outdoors and encourages healthy eating. If children know where their food comes from and have had a hand in growing it, they’ll be more excited about eating it.
Fibonacci’s real name was Leonardo Pisano Bogollo. He was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1170. History states that Fibonacci was his nickname which roughly translates as “Son of Bonacci”. His father was a merchant named Guglielmo Bonaccio.
He travelled widely and traded extensively.
Maths was incredibly important to those in the trading industry, and Fibonacci’s passion for numbers was cultivated in his youth. He spent his childhood in North Africa where he studied the Hindu-Arabic arithmetic system and learnt of decimal numbers.
In 1200 he returned to Pisa and used the knowledge he had gained on his
travels to write Liber Abaci (published in 1202) which roughly translates as ‘book of calculations’. The book introduced Indian mathematics to the west and shared his knowledge of Arabic numerals which went on to replace the roman numeral system.
The first chapter of the book states:
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The Golden Rectangle can be found in many Renaissance art works including the Mona Lisa!
The Fibonacci sequence and Golden Rectangle appear surprisingly often both in nature and human designs. In nature, Fibonacci numbers manifest themselves in lots of places from the numbers of petals on a flower to the number of spirals in the seeds of a sunflower. The relationship between the Fibonacci sequence and the arrangement of things in nature is highly efficient as it allows flowers to pack in as many seeds as possible into a small space or branches to grow in such a way that allows leaves to receive equal amounts of sunlight.
Fibonacci numbers have been used in lots of architectural designs including Cornwall’s Eden Project. The building is an environmental and arts education centre, and is composed of geodesic domes that are made up of hexagonal and pentagonal cells. Designed by Jolyon Brewis, the core of the building is based on nature’s architecture and incorporates Fibonacci numbers and phyllotaxis (the arrangement of leaves) in its design. This approach is labelled as ‘Biomimicry’.
Fibonacci Day is celebrated on 23rd November every year, as it has the digits “1, 1, 2, 3” which are all Fibonacci numbers!
*Browse our STEM and Maths resources on our website!
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http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Fibonacci.html
https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fibonacci-sequence.html
https://plus.maths.org/content/life-and-numbers-fibonacci
http://www.livescience.com/37470-fibonacci-sequence.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjSHVDfXHQ4&t=101s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTlw7fNcO-0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koFsRrJgioA
http://geometricon.com/10-amazing-examples-of-architecture-inspired-by-mathematics/
Name: Emma from Me and B Make Tea
Age of child: 3 years
Product Testing: Gears! Gears! Gears!® Space Explorers Building Set
“Emma is a mum of one very inquisitive boy. He is very nearly four and loves anything to do with science. She blogs over at Me and B Make Tea and loves trying anything science related! Her blog started out as a way to document healthy eating but it quickly grew to cover all things parenting and life.”
Brandon, my son, wanted to get the spacemen and rocket out straight away. Daddy helped us stick all the stickers on and set up our gears. Another first thought was that this toy looked bright and perfect for inspiring young imaginations.
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First up we followed the instructions and built the space gears as they are shown on the box. We then experimented with different space scenarios over the next few days.
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This toy is ideal for creative thinking and using your imagination. Brandon learnt how energy travels through the gears to move other gears along the space set up. We played with this toy with him and explained what was happening. I think on his own, he would have got frustrated with trying to put it all together properly. Some adult supervision and help is needed for a 3-4 year old.
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Brandon loves the idea of space. He loves anything to do with space. I like how the base trays slot together well and the product is relatively easy to construct. There wasn’t anything we overly disliked to be honest!
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I think Brandon will use this more when he is a bit older. Right now he needs parent supervision which is nice anyway because we like doing things together like this. As he gets older he will be able to construct his own space stations and scenarios.
I think so, yes. I haven’t seen anything like it before.
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Yes, definitely!
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*For more fun follow Me and B Make Tea on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!
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Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, physician, inventor and engineer, born in Syracuse, Sicily, in 287BC. He was the son of an astronomer and mathematician named Phidias.
In the third century BC, Syracuse was a hub of commerce, art and science. Archimedes developed a natural curiosity and affinity for problem solving. He travelled to Egypt to study in Alexandria before returning to Syracuse, where he dedicated his life to research and experimentation across multiple fields.
Archimedes was summoned by King Hiero to help him investigate whether he had been cheated by a goldsmith. The king had given a goldsmith the exact amount of gold needed to make his crown but the king suspected that he had been cheated and only some of the gold was used and combined with silver. The king asked Archimedes to solve the problem without causing any damage to the crown.
One day when taking a bath, Archimedes noticed that the water level rose as he eased himself into the water. He suddenly realised that a body immersed in fluid loses weight equal to the weight of the amount of fluid it displaces. This discovery excited him so much that he jumped out of the bath tub and ran through the streets naked shouting ‘Eureka!’, which comes from the ancient Greek meaning ‘I found it!’
This realisation meant the he could solve the King’s problem as he was able to measure the crowns density.
Pure gold is very dense while silver is less dense. So, if there was silver in the crown it would be less dense than if it were made of pure gold. The story says that when Archimedes tested this theory in front of the King by submerging the crown in water, he found that he had indeed been cheated by the goldsmith. This method of calculating the way in which an object displaces water to measure volume is called the ‘Archimedes Principle’.
Historians believe Archimedes invented the hydraulic screw which has come to be known as the Archimedes Screw. A famous story recounts how King Hiero was unable to empty rainwater from the hull of one of his favourite ships and so he called upon Archimedes for his assistance.
He invented a system whereby water could defy gravity and be carried up and out of the boat. This system featured a hollow tube containing a spiral that could be turned by a handle at one end.
When inclined at an angle of 45 degrees with its lower end placed in a body of water, the rotation of the device causes the water to rise in the hollow tube.
Archimedes is responsible for several of the simple machines we still use today including the pulley, the fulcrum and the lever. He invented a lot of these devices whilst he was working to defend the city of Syracuse during war.
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You have gathered some rocks at the bottom of a hill. You want to move the rocks to the top of the hill, but they are too heavy. How can you move the rocks using an Archimedes screw?
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*Browse our STEM and Science resources on our website!
http://archimedespalimpsest.org/about/history/archimedes.php
http://www.softschools.com/inventions/history/archimedes_screw_history/14/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/archimedes.shtml
Name: Selena Ledgerton
Title: Web, Media & Marketing Manager at All About STEM
Age of testers: 8 Years old – All About STEM Mini-STEMmer
Product Testing: Zoomy™ 2.0 Handheld Digital Microscope
“Selena works as All About STEM’s Web, Media & Marketing Manager. All About STEM works on numerous projects to bring exciting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to schools across Merseyside, Cheshire and Warrington. They link schools with business, industry & expert volunteers to inspire the next generation of STEM specialists. As part of their work they have ran The Big Bang North West for the last four years, they manage the STEM Ambassador STEM Hub for Cheshire and Merseyside on behalf of STEM Learning and co-manage the Enterprise Adviser Network in the Liverpool City Region for The Careers & Enterprise Company.”
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We were impressed with the bright packaging and our Mini-STEMmer was excited to open the box after seeing that this microscope plugs into the laptop! There was a lot of excitement about what the images would look like and where we could use it.
The CD included was simple to install and from that point on the hardware was plug and play – top marks for a user-friendly interface!
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During the session, we tried the microscope on various foods, materials and even skin! We couldn’t believe how simple it was to focus as the top of the unit twists to make any alterations you need. The built in light and detachable circular guide allowed us to view three dimensional objects and textured surfaces, there is no need for plates or flat specimens here – jewellery, string, a tongue, all without problem!
There was plenty of opportunity to explore anything and everything without restriction. Well done to our Mini-STEMmer for taking these fantastic shots!
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My favourite thing is that Zoomy is tactile, easy to hold and control and the images are awesome!
Children who have issues with fine motor skills can enjoy Zoomy too. Other microscopes can be complicated and fiddly, whereas Zoomy is as simple as holding a ball and pushing a button. It may also be beneficial for children who are visually impaired as the image appears in a large scale on a laptop screen and could be digitally projected.
I couldn’t find fault with Zoomy, I would only say that the USB wire could have been a little longer to reach across a larger desk or for outdoor exploration.
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This hardware is fully portable and can be used again and again in so many subjects.
Nature walks, baking sessions, playtime, the cross-curricular opportunities are endless.
I think I’ll be taking Zoomy to The Big Bang North West and taking some microscopic shots of our science exhibits! I’ll be running across a pool of custard, I wonder what a non-Newtonian fluid would look like?
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No, there are other digital microscopes on the market. For the price (£54) however, this is the best I have seen when it comes to quality of image and ease of use. I have to say, I didn’t expect the images to be as impressive and sharp.
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*Big Bang North West takes place on the 4th of July at the Exhibition Centre, Liverpool. Find out more All About STEM and book your free tickets to BBNW using the links below!
The Big Bang North West is sponsored by AstraZeneca
#LoveLearning
John Logie Baird was born in 1888 in Helensburgh, Scotland. He was the fourth child of John, a Clergyman, and Jesse Baird. Throughout his teenage years he was inspired by the scientific and futuristic stories of HG Wells, one of which featured a description of a table-top television.
These stories fuelled a fascination of electronics and entrepreneurship and Baird’s teenage years were spent conducting experiments and building inventions.
He studied Engineering at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College but his time there was interrupted by the outbreak of World War 1. He tried to enlist for the army but was rejected due to ill health.
Following this, Baird tried his hand at many business ventures including:
Upon his return he was still brimming with ideas for inventions, but one idea in particular was about to take precedence – television.
In 1923 Baird rented a workshop in Hastings and began to experiment with transmitting moving images along with sounds. Following his previous business ventures he lacked funding and a lot of his equipment included household items such as a hat box, some darning needles and glue. He successfully developed a system that transmitted shapes and shadows from one place to another. One day, when working on his invention in the workshop, Baird accidentally gave himself an electric shock and survived with
only burns. The landlord wasn’t impressed and asked him to leave!
In 1925, Selfridges Department Store invited Baird to give a three week demonstration of his invention. This was the first time that Baird had demonstrated what he had been working on to the public. His demonstration
involved reproducing the outline of a cross shape, and although this may seem
simple to us now, it was revolutionary as at the time. At this point in history only 1 in 1000 people had a radio set!
With the payment from his demonstrations, Baird invested in a home-made laboratory that was located at 22 Frith Street in Soho. This is what this address looks like today, and his laboratory would have been in the rooms above Bar Italia, a commemorative plaque remains on the outside wall.
It was in this laboratory that Baird made a significant breakthrough in his mission to transmit moving images with sound. The lighting Baird had to use was so bright that there was a risk of setting fire to the subject! To overcome this he used the head of a ventriloquist dummy which he named ‘Stookie Bill’. The system was mechanical and scanned images using spinning discs with tiny holes. The light that went through the holes was turned into an electrical signal which travelled down a wire into a television set to show the image of Stookie Bill on screen.
In October 1925, he finally achieved ‘half-tone’ television pictures.
– John Logie Baird
On the 26th of January 1926, Baird invited distinguished scientists from the Royal Institution and a reporter from The Times to visit his laboratory and witness his latest advancement in his invention. The guests were invited into his small laboratory a few people at a time. They saw the image of Stookie Bill and then took turns to be “televised” in the intense floodlighting. Baird describes the scene in his memoirs:
In one room was a large whirling disc, a most dangerous device,
had they known it, liable to burst at any minute with showers of broken glass… One of the visitors who was being transmitted had a long white beard, part of which blew into the wheel. Fortunately he escaped with the loss of a certain amount of hair. He was a thorough sportsman and took the accident in good part and insisted on continuing the experiment and having his face transmitted.
Two days after the event an article appeared from the reporter present at the event:
– The Times Reporter
Baird continued to build on his success with several breakthroughs in television:
1927 – Live television pictures were broadcast over 438 miles from London to Glasgow by telephone line and he developed the Baird Television Development Company (BTDC)
1928 – The first transatlantic television transmission took place between London and New York using short-wave radio
1928 – He demonstrated the world’s first colour transmission
The BBC originally adopted Baird’s mechanical television system but dropped it in 1937 in favour of an electronic version that had been developed by his rival company, Marconi-EMI.
In 1931 Baird married 43-year old South African Pianist, Margaret Albu. They had two children, Diana and Malcom.
Baird suffered a stroke and died on June 14, 1946 in Bexhill-on-Sea in England. He is buried with his mother, father and wife in Helensburgh Cemetery.
John Logie Baird is remembered as one as one of Scotland’s greatest engineers and a pioneer in television technology. His legacy lives on in many ways, not just in the historical sense but as an example to encourage the younger generation to persevere and innovate.
Since his passing he has been inducted into the Honour Roll of the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) in recognition of his lifelong contributions and accomplishments.
The Australian Logie Awards are named after him and are considered the Australian counterpart to the Emmy Awards in America.
This statue of Stookie Bill is displayed at Helensburgh’s Outdoor Museum to commemorate Baird as a local and national treasure.
*Browse our STEM and Technology resources on our website!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/baird_logie.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/john_logie_baird/
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/103274
http://www.biography.com/people/john-logie-baird-9195738
http://www.bairdtelevision.com/
http://www.softschools.com/facts/scientists/john_logie_baird_facts/1624/
https://learnodo-newtonic.com/john-logie-baird-facts
Name: Tine from Mummy in the City
Product Testing: Sight Word Swat
Age of child: 4.5 years
“Tine is a mum of two young children, and writes the London blog, Mummy in the City.
The blog is focused on life with young children in South West London, and covers everything from London family attractions and services to family travel and children’s products and fashion.”
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It looked fun with the swatters, and I liked the colour coding on the double-sided cards, as this made it easy to sort them for different levels of reading.
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I’ve played it together with my daughter (and her Teddy) many times now, and I always shout out the word and pretend I’m a bit slow, letting her (or Teddy) do the reading and win. Although it is for 1 to 4 players, I think it works particularly well when we do it just the two of us. I can then pick a mix of words I know would be good to practice and some I know she knows very well to give her confidence, and it’s only about having a laugh and not competing.
Reinforcing sight words helps children learning to read, and when they know more sight words it’s easier to read faster.
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This game is the most fast-paced sight word game we’ve had. We could have printed a list of sight words to repeat too, but the Sight Word Swat makes it so much more fun and more natural for me to talk about sight words at home.
Big Girl loves it and asks me to play it with her, which I think shows how this game makes learning sight words fun, and it’s a game we’ve come to use regularly. The fact that there are 150 double-sided cards also means it’ll be relevant for longer than some of the other sight word resources we’ve tried.
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It’s the only educational game I’ve seen with swatters!
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Yes! It’s currently my favourite sight word resource.
*For more fun follow Mummy in the City on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!
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Marie Curie was born with the name Maria Slodowska on the 7th of November, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland. Her parents were poor teachers and she was the youngest of five siblings. Her father, Władysław, was a maths and physics instructor.
In 1883, Maria received her high school diploma, achieving a gold medal for excellence in mathematics. Her sister Bronia was at medical school in Paris and to help to finance her studies Maria worked as a tutor and governess from the age of 16. Maria’s goal was to join Bronia in Paris to study at the Paris Sorbonne University. In order to pass the entrance exams, Maria took night courses to learn additional chemistry, maths and physics.
In 1891, she moved to Paris to study physics and mathematics at Paris Sorbonne University and completed her masters degree in physics in 1893.
Women’s education advocates gave her a scholarship to stay and she earned another degree in mathematics in 1894.
It was this year in which Maria was introduced to Pierre Curie, a professor of the School of Physics. He and Maria worked together in a laboratory at the school and they fell in love, in 1895 they were married. It was around this time that she adopted the French spelling of her name, Marie, which is used today.
Pierre and Marie worked together investigating radioactivity, building on the work of Henri Becquerel and Wilhelm Roentgen. This research led to the discovery of a new chemical element in 1898 which they named polonium, honouring Marie’s birth country, Poland. At the end of that year they announced the discovery of another element, radium. Marie Curie developed methods to separate radium from radioactive residues to allow for it to be characterised and studied.
–Marie Curie
The results of their work and perseverance led to a Nobel Prize in 1903 which they shared with Henri Becquerel. This made history as Marie Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in physics. Following this great achievement, Pierre was appointed to a professorship at Sorbonne and the University funded a laboratory for him. Marie was hired as the head of the laboratory and they continued to work together in their research.
(The certificate for the Curies’ 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics)
On April 19th, 1906, Pierre Curie was tragically killed after falling under a cart on a slippery street. Sorbonne University appointed Marie to the position of full professor in physics, notably the first woman in this position at the university.
In 1911, she won her second Nobel Prize, this time for Chemistry.
To this date no other person has received Nobel prizes for two different sciences.
During the First World War, Marie Curie developed mobile X-ray units to help diagnose injuries near the battlefront. She worked at casualty clearing stations to locate fractures, bullets and shrapnel in soldiers. She also trained several hundred young women to work as X-ray technicians behind the front lines.
(Marie Curie driving a
mobile X-ray unit in 1915)
Marie devoted the rest of her life to establishing Radium Institutes, first in France, then in the 1930s in Poland.
In 1921, President Harding of the United States, on behalf of the women of America, presented her with one gram of radium in recognition of her service to science (worth $100,000 at the time). She visited again in 1929 and President Hoover gifted her with £50,000 to purchase 1 gram of radium for the Radium institute of Poland in Warsaw. The value of radium had declined since her previous visit due to a new source.
During her lifetime Marie undertook physically demanding work involving highly radioactive materials. At the time, Marie and Pierre were oblivious to the effects but they began to suffer from sickness and ill-health as a consequence. On the 4th July 1934, Marie passed away at the age of 66. She was suffering from pernicious anaemia, a condition she developed after years of exposure to radiation through her work.
Marie and Pierre had two daughters, Irene (1897) and Eve (1904). Irene won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 for her work with aluminium and radiation. Eve became a writer, journalist and pianist and wrote a biography of her mother’s life.
The Radium Institute that she established in Paris is now the Curie Museum employing over 3000 scientists and physicians. Their work is devoted to research in physics, chemistry and medicine with particular attention to radioactivity and cures for cancer.
The 96th element, curium, on the Periodic Table of the Elements was discovered in 1944 and named after Pierre and Marie Curie.
Marie Curie, the charity, is named in honour of Marie Curie the scientist and provides care and support for people living with any terminal illness. The charity’s origins are linked to the Marie Curie Hospital which specialised in the radiological treatment of women suffering from cancer and allied diseases. Marie Curie’s daughter, Eve, gave the charity permission to use her mother’s name. The charity now helps over 40,000 people across the UK.
– Marie Curie Charity
*Browse our STEM and Science resources on our website!
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/curie_marie.shtml
https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/who/our-history/marie-curie-the-scientist
http://history.aip.org/history/exhibits/curie/recdis2.htm
http://www.biega.com/sklodowska-curie.shtml
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio.html
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Co-Da/Curie-Marie.html
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=&0=&What are Cuisenaire® Rods?
Cuisenaire® Rods are a collection of rectangular rods of 10 lengths and 10 colours, each colour corresponding to a different length. The smallest rod, a white centimetre cube, is 1cm long; the longest, the orange is 10 cm.
One set contains 74 rods: 4 each of the orange (σ), blue (e), brown (n), black (k), dark green (d), and yellow (y); 6 purple (p); 10 light green (g); 12 red ®; and 22 white (w). One aspect of the rods is that, when they are arranged in order of length in a pattern commonly called a “staircase,” each rod differs from the next by 1cm, the length of the shortest rod, the white.
Cuisneaire® Rods are a hands-on teaching resource which can be used to develop a variety of mathematical concepts from addition and subtraction to ratio and spatial reasoning.
Georges Cuisenaire (1891-1976) the inventor and namesake of Cuisenaire® Rods began his career as a teacher at the age of 20, A native of Thuin, Belgium, this dedicated primary school educator arrived at the idea of expressing numbers in colour through his lifelong knowledge of music.
Cuisenaire found it curious this his students could understand the idea of whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes on a piano keyboard but, for some reason, could not understand similar fractional relationships when studying mathematics. Because notes in music are based on specific mathematical intervals, he began to develop the idea of a “keyboard” for numbers. In 1931, he experimented in the basement of his home with a set of rectangular rods sawed out of wood. The ten rods varied in length from 1cm to 10cm, each with the length painted a different colour. He soon found his students could use the rods to help them “see” and understand numbers and their relationships to each other. The results he obtained when he used these simple coloured rods to teach arithmetic were amazing. Not only did his pupils greatly improve their mathematics skills, but they also enjoyed and understood the work they did. It was clear that the analogy of a keyboard for mathematics worked.
Nevertheless, this invention remained virtually unknown outside Cuisenaire’s small village for the next 23 years. The beginning of public awareness of this system began in 1952 with his publication of a small booklet titled ‘Les Nombres en Coleurs’. But the real increase in public exposure took place one year later, when Geogres Cuisenaire made the acquaintance of Dr. Caleb Gattegno, a mathematics professor at the University of London.
At this point, Dr. Gattegno had been a leading figure in bringing improvement to mathematics teaching at both primary and secondary level for many years. He realised that the rods not only provided a concrete algebraic model but they also provided teachers with a model for making lessons more focused around a child’s personal investigation of maths.
Dr. Gattegno lectured in many countries and spread the word about Cuisenaire® Rods to teachers. His work with children and style of subordinate teaching with the rods demonstrated proven results. These experiences led him to produce a textbook series named ‘Mathematics with Numbers in Colour’, the rest, as they say, is history!
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Maths Mastery: Insights from a Year 3 Maths Leader
Base Ten: The Maths Mastery Manipulative
Five activities you didn’t know you could do with Cuisenaire® Rods
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ETA Cuisneaire: Celebrating 75 years
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