Bare Bones of the Matter
Monday 14 July 2008
Hands On Science Gallery is celebrating ‘You’ this summer with science activities all about the human body. Children are naturally curious about themselves and their bodies. ‘All About You’ provides a fun, learning environment where parents and children can learn and play together to find out how their bodies work and what makes them who they are. Children are given the task of filling out a personal passport by completing a series of activities. The activities range from children looking at their hair under a microscope and determining what hair type they have, to figuring out illusions that fool our brains. Natasha Verniquet, Hands On Coordinator says “Did you know that there are as many hairs per square inch on a person’s body as on a chimpanzee’s? It’s just that on a human body you don’t see all of the hairs because most are too fine and too light to be noticed.”
‘All About You’ will be launched on Saturday 19 July at 2pm with a special ‘Meet the Scientist’ session, where children will find out quirky facts about their bodies and have the opportunity to ask important questions such as why do we have eyebrows or why is poo brown? Natasha believes children benefit from seeing science and scientists in an everyday context. “There is a tendency for scientists to be stereotyped as balding men with white hair and lab coats. Hopefully the ‘Meet the Scientist’ sessions will show children that scientists come in all shapes and sizes. This session is particularly exciting because the children get to be directly involved in the discussion with scientists by asking questions; and the stranger the better!”
In addition to the ‘All About You’ exhibition, Hands On has a range of permanent exhibits that focus on science concepts from magnetism to light and sound. You can operate a digger arm using hydraulics, create an aerodynamic train in a wind tunnel, and the most popular of all, take a ‘picture’ of your shadow.
Eventhough Hands On is targeted at 5 to 12 year olds, science is an area that is so deeply involved in our everyday lives that anyone can enjoy the activities on offer. Hands On promotes the excitement of science by running activities that encourage children to learn-through-play.
Courtesy of The Oxford Times. The Science Matters page is coordinated by Science Oxford
‘All About You’ will be launched on Saturday 19 July at 2pm with a special ‘Meet the Scientist’ session, where children will find out quirky facts about their bodies and have the opportunity to ask important questions such as why do we have eyebrows or why is poo brown? Natasha believes children benefit from seeing science and scientists in an everyday context. “There is a tendency for scientists to be stereotyped as balding men with white hair and lab coats. Hopefully the ‘Meet the Scientist’ sessions will show children that scientists come in all shapes and sizes. This session is particularly exciting because the children get to be directly involved in the discussion with scientists by asking questions; and the stranger the better!”
In addition to the ‘All About You’ exhibition, Hands On has a range of permanent exhibits that focus on science concepts from magnetism to light and sound. You can operate a digger arm using hydraulics, create an aerodynamic train in a wind tunnel, and the most popular of all, take a ‘picture’ of your shadow.
Eventhough Hands On is targeted at 5 to 12 year olds, science is an area that is so deeply involved in our everyday lives that anyone can enjoy the activities on offer. Hands On promotes the excitement of science by running activities that encourage children to learn-through-play.
Courtesy of The Oxford Times. The Science Matters page is coordinated by Science Oxford
