Cubs Science Badge Outreach event

 This weekend (Saturday), I and three other STEM Ambassadors (Jill, Amy & Neil) delivered an outreach activity to a Cub camp at the Norfolk Show-ground. Camouflaged learning also delivered activities including pneumatic rocket cars.

About 1400 cubs were registered at the camp and by my reckoning we met with over 200 of them (judging by materials usage and booklets doled out. The booklets & risk assessment are available here. ). I was very grateful for the presence of the other STEM ambassadors as it would have been like Custer's Last Stand with our activity playing the part of the US Cavalry...
Our delivered activities were in the main aimed at getting the cubs their science badges (as per the scouts web-site) and included:

Making simple switches, Hot air rises, Splitting light (CD spectrometer), Yoghurt making, Crystals & Measuring your pulse. We also did a make a CD Hovercraft activity as a bonus.



Yoghurt making was a popular activity (Amy was kept very busy). Needs refining as result was more a yoghurty drink rather than thick yoghurt. I think that more starter is needed and temperature control (i.e. the 38 degree part) needs improving (I used a hot water bottle in a coolbag) especially in a big cold barn like we were in... (Apologies for poor photo - things were quite hectic).

The bags were a bit poor at demonstrating hot air rising but I will endeavour to get multiple & more powerful hair-dryers and lighter bags next time.

The CD Spectroscope worked well and so did the hovercraft (with the right kind of fruit shoot-top as a valve).

My Ebay-sourced timer was perfect for timing when taking pulses and the switches circuit (a re-engineered version of a circuit that I built at the ASE conference) also performed well (but needs to be most robust).

Crystal activity was quite messy. They made crystal lattice models using marshmallows & dry spaghetti.

I gave out IFR wrist slap bands (for cubs who completed at least 3 badge activities) and my supply of 60 was exhausted after a few hours! Likewise my supplies of Science in Norwich pencils & stickers.

Enjoyable (but tiring) activity - hopefully will have helped lots of cubs to get their badges and to enjoy science. Big thank you again to the other STEM ambassadors.

Eastern Daily Press coverage here & their photo gallery here