ON Tuesday around 23 Grade 4-6 students from Branxholme Wallacedale Community School and Macarthur and Penshurst Primary Schools were fortunate enough to participate in a “Kids teaching Kids” science session at Baimbridge College, Hamilton.

Part of National Science Week 2023, this year’s theme was ‘Innovation: Powering Future Industries’, which gave primary school students an opportunity to work with older kids to explore science and technology in a wide variety of ways.

Year 11 Baimbridge College science students were only too pleased to share their knowledge and had fun working through a range of experiments with their primary school counterparts throughout the day.

Branxholme Wallacedale Community School science teacher, Deb Templeton, said the special science teaching model was designed to achieve greater connection between smaller schools and build relationships with their neighbouring secondary schools.

She said it would “contribute to the ongoing and increased student participation and engagement in school STEM programs”.

“Students got to experience 12 mini experiments that encompassed the science strands of Physics, Chemistry and Biology,” she said.

“The activities ran for approximately eight minutes each and incorporated hands-on science learning where students had the chance to interact with senior students during this time to complete these activities.”

Rotating around the science room, some of the activities included working with kitchen chemicals, microbes, specimens and microscopes, endothermic and exothermic reactions, lava lamps, volcano explosions, starch testing, acid base rainbows and fireworks.

Baimbridge College assistant principal, Yvette Colquhoun, was thrilled with the level of engagement between all the students from the participating primary schools.

“It’s been a great opportunity for the students to come and check out our facilities and to participate in a wide range of activities,” she said.

“Our Baimbridge students have been really excited about the primary school children coming and to show them what they’ve been learning - to demonstrate their knowledge and to peer teach.”

Ms Colquhoun paid tribute to her colleague - science co-ordinator, Jessica Wright, for assisting in organising the National Science Week activities.