[00:42.69]MIKE:Hi SUE
[00:44.10]SUE:Hi MIKE, so what happened to you last week?
[00:46.92]MIKE:Oh, I was sick with the flu.
[00:48.35]What's this I hear about a big assignment we've got to do?
[00:51.40]SUE:Well, basically, we've got to find two science experiments to do with a group of eight-year-old children at the local primary school, and we've got to complete it by the end of the week.
[01:02.00]MIKE:Oh, that sounds like hard work.
[01:03.51]Where are we supposed to get the ideas for these experiments from?
[01:06.12]SUE:Well.I managed to get hold of two books from the library.
[01:09.51]MIKE:Oh, well done!
[01:10.77]SUE:How about if we take a look at the experiments in this book first and see if anything looks suitable?
[01:16.89]I can make notes as we go, about equipment and the purpose of the experiments.
[01:21.34]MIKE:OK, let's see, um, the first experiment is called 'Make your own hovercraft', which sounds very ambitious!
[01:30.23]Mind you, you only need twenty balloons and a table - you don't need any special engines or anything like that!
[01:37.14]SUE:What do you do with it all?
[01:40.17]MIKE:Er, you blow up the balloons and you balance the table on them, upside down of course, and the kids get to ride around on it.
[01:47.70]You know, the other kids sort of push them around the room.
[01:50.23]The main purpose is to show how hovercrafts work, and how things hover around on just a cushion of air.
[01:57.28]SUE:OK, that doesn't sound too bad.
[01:59.71]MIKE:OK, ready for number two?
[02:01.34]SUE:Uh-huh.
[02:02.34]MIKE:Now this one is called Unusual Measures of Lengths', and you basically use lots of paperclips.
[02:08.88]The kids go around the class measuring things - you know, how long the desk is, and that sort of thing, urn, and then they all compare their answers.
[02:18.21]Er, and, basically, because not all paperclips are the same lengths, they should come up with some strange answers.
[02:25.48]It's supposed to demonstrate the importance of having fixed units of measurement.
[02:30.52]SUE:Hmm, yes, that's not bad.
[02:32.18]MIKE:OK, now for number three you need rock salt or copper sulphate.
[02:38.10]SUE:Oh, I'm not sure about that!
[02:39.94]MIKE:Well, just put down the rock salt then, urn, apart from that you only need ajar of water.
[02:45.59]Urn, and basically you dissolve lots of salt into the water and watch the crystals form, so it basically teaches the kids about growing crystals.
[02:56.31]SUE:I suppose it would be nice to grow something.
[02:58.83]Hmm.let's move on and have a look at number four.
[03:02.76]MIKE:OK, this one is called ‘Spinning colour wheel’.
[03:07.70]It looks like you get some cardboard and draw a circle on it, divide it into six equal segments and colour each one in using different colours, then you thread a piece of string through the middle.
[03:19.70]SUE:So we’d need some string as well.
[03:21.78]MIKE:Yes, sorry ... um ... and you spin the wheel around and if you can get it spinning fast enough, hopefully the colours all merge and show up as white.
[03:31.40]SUE:Oh.I didn't know that.
[03:32.98]What's the principle behind it?
[03:35.50]MIKE:Well it's pretty elementary physics, really.
[03:37.20]It teaches them about how white light or ordinary light is made up.
[03:40.69]SUE:Hmm, well that doesn't sound too bad.
[03:42.95]Now there's only one more left in this book isn't there?
[03:46.30]What does that one say?
[03:47.86]MIKE:Um, well it’s another one where they'd get to make something.
[03:51.90]SUE:Sounds very interesting.
[03:52.36]MIKE:You need quite a lot of equipment actually - a hand drill, an old record, a pin or needle, some paper and a bolt.
[04:01.76]SUE:Hmm, go on, what do they have to do?
[04:03.80]MIKE:Well, they basically make a record player.
[04:06.71]The main idea is to teach them about recording sound, but hopefully they'd also see that you need motion and an amplifier to make the sound heard.
[04:15.60]SUE:OK, well it does sound interesting.
[04:18.00]Shall we go through all of those again and decide if any of them are going to be suitable?
[04:59.40]MIKE:Right, number one.
[05:00.12]I thought this one sounded nice: there'd be lots of activity and it doesn't need too much in the way of equipment.
[05:05.62]SUE:Yes, that's true, but don't you think it's a bit risky to get a group of eight-year-olds pushing each other around a classroom like that?
[05:12.69]Someone could get hurt.
[05:14.41]No, I don't like the sound of that one at all!
[05:17.25]MIKE:Maybe you're right
[05:18.91]SUE:What about number two, with the paperclips?
[05:21.44]It sounds tame enough.
[05:23.11]MIKE:Yes, a bit too tame if you ask me.
[05:25.26]I think it needs to be something a bit more active and interesting than that, don't you?
[05:29.80]SUE:Yes, I suppose you're right.
[05:31.77]We won't get a very good mark if the children don't actually enjoy the experiments, and I suppose we could turn them off science for good!
[05:38.26]Well, what about the next one, number three?
[05:40.89]MIKE:Now, I quite like the idea of this one.
[05:43.76]SUE:Yes, so do I, but I seem to remember when we did it at high school we had to wait up to a fortnight before we saw any halfway decent results.
[05:51.75]MIKE:Oh, yes well, that won’t be any good then.
[05:54.48]We'll only see the kids for one or two hours at the most.
[05:57.31]SUE:Yes, and we have to do the experiments and write up our results within a week, so that one won't do at all.
[06:03.92]MIKE:OK, well, what did you think of number four?
[06:07.73]SUE:I like the idea of it, but do you think it will be a bit elementary for them?
[06:12.65]MIKE:Well they are only eight you know!
[06:15.70]SUE:I know, but you know what I mean.
[06:16.42]Don't you think the activity itself is a bit babyish?
[06:19.65]MIKE:Hmm.maybe you're right
[06:21.18]SUE:They might have fun but, I mean, cutting out a circle and colouring it in?
[06:25.43]MIKE:OK, well, what about number five?
[06:28.13]SUE:I thought this one sounded a bit too good to be true - great equipment!
[06:32.58]MIKE:Yeah
[06:33.20]SUE:But don't you think it's a bit ambitious for this age group?
[06:36.36]I mean, I don't want to start off something and then have to abandon it if they just can't cope with it.
[06:41.44]I could see us ending up doing just about all of the work for them.
[06:44.90]MIKE:I guess you're right.
[06:47.15]Oh well, maybe we could store that idea away for later.
[06:50.40]SUE:Yep, let's hope this second book has something better!
