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We have packs left and there’s still plenty of planting time. Could your 7 – 14 year olds win £1000 worth of Amazon or Garden Vouchers for your school or clubhouse? It’s a cross curricular project and no mistake…science (obviously), marketing, the art of persuasion, maths…teachers, over to you…
“The girls had done distillation this year, so it was a good project to link with the curriculum”
“Brilliant! It really got the students thinking”
“The pupils gained from working as a team, having a special ‘club’, and realising that interesting ideas on how to use and sell mint aren’t always realistic or practical”
“Everyone enjoyed it and it was cross-curricular with maths, language (diary), ES (Romans and plants and animals),Exp Arts (making items and posters)”
Sign up for a pack here. www.planet-science.com/outthere/mint
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3. Stump the Scientist
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 OK, fair enough, it’s half term so no-one’s been resting plates of soggy flour on their radiators to see what happens (next desk experiment at PSHQ - Ed). However we still need to know the answer to this, last week’s stumper which was from Anne Duncan who asks:
“Can ordinary flour that has been mixed with water to form a gloopy substance or held in suspension until it settles be reversed by evaporation, or does the flour irreversibly change once mixed with water?
No heating is involved so it would seem to be reversible but the gloopy, doughy product seems irreversible. No-one I have spoken to seems to know the answer and yet in primary school mixing flour with water is a common activity to do with solubility! Is there someone there who can solve my problem?”
It’s a good question isn’t it!? What’s the flour doing in there?
If you can help or have a burning question of your own then send us an email with STUMP THE SCIENTIST in the subject line to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk
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4. Activity of the Week: Potato Surprise!
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 It’s time to release some pent up energy on some innocent spuds before you get back to school next week.
You will need:
- A potato (or several if you like)
- Plastic straws (non-flimsy ones are best)
- A gardening glove
What to do:
- It's easy: put a gardening glove on one hand, for protection, and hold the potato firmly between the upturned fingertips of this hand (ie. position your hand to ensure you won't stab the palm of your hand if the straw goes through).
- Take the straw in your other hand, and hold it firmly, but without crushing it.
- Right. Take a deep breath, take aim, and stab the potato as hard as you can. (The trick is not to hold back because it's "only" a straw. Imagine it's a pencil. You might also pretend you're aiming for the BACK of the potato rather than the front - a psychological trick that'll give your stab more ooooomph.)
- When you've perfected the action, the straw will pierce right through the potato ...
What's going on:
Straws may be insubstantial if you bend them across the middle, but as cylinders they have strength from end to end - and you don't need to keep your thumb over the end or anything, the walls of the straw alone are all you need to mimic the effect of a sharp circular knife. That's a lot of pressure hitting the potato across the very fine circumference of the straw, and like stiletto heels digging holes into your brand new lino, it can certainly make its mark.
If you prefer your science activities to be a little more visual then look at the Planet Scicast site.
Keep checking back for new films (quite a lot at the moment) and, whilst you’re about it - how about submitting one of your own films?
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5. Mouses at the Ready
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 We have four, yes four, Darth Taters to give away this week. You could run a Star Wars style widget off one if you have suitable electrodes and pretend that Darth has special powers, or make him a prize for something a bit silly – either way we think you’ll agree he’s a giggle.
If you’d like to win one then email us with your name and address, and the words ‘POTA 2 D 2’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 20th of February.
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Lurve Quiz
‘Tis the month of Luuuurve and Planet Science offers you the chance of getting in touch with your feminine side by entering the Lurve Bug Quiz. Camilla may have uncontrollable hair – but can she straighten out her love life? Read all about the romantic antics going on in the Mild Virology Laboratory and while you’re at it see if you can fill in the blanks with sensible answers. Get them all right and you’ll be in with a chance of winning a medical dictionary, handy for hypochondriacs, and you can see how your heart really works.
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STEM Opportunities event for Primary teachers in London for gratis!
Details of the event can be found online at www.stemcentres.org.uk
When: 28th February 13.00 to 16.30
Where: Science Museum/Dana Centre
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There is no better way to say thank you. Making a nomination is a fantastic way to give teachers, school governors and schools the recognition they deserve. There is also an award for Sustainable School of the Year.
Deadline March 1st.
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Learning outside school - ideas needed!
Futurelab needs your ideas to support learning outside school Ideas Incubator open 21 Jan – 29 Feb 2008
www.futurelab.org.uk/ideas
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National Science and Engineering Week 7-16 March 2008
Looking for something to do in NSEW 2008? Take an apple taste test, make the perfect loaf of bread and find out how to make food fizz by trying out activities from the free ‘Food for thought’ challenge pack available on the BA website. Other free challenge packs include ‘Domestic Science’, ‘Colour Chaos!’ and ‘Sixty Second Science’.
Would you like to run an event but don’t know where to start? The BA can help. We have a host of free resources on our website, providing all you need to know to run an event. These include: where to look for ideas, guides to running and publicising events, and details of how to get funding. Visit the-ba.net for more information.
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Free Sixth Form Study Day - Imaging – Fri 14 March
The day involves a programme of lectures in the morning on aspects of scientific and medical imaging followed by optional workshops in the afternoon.
Mid-morning refreshments provided, but bring your own lunch
Afternoon: Optional one hour practical workshops based at university departments 1.45-2.45pm (please indicate if you wish to take part)
Programme begins at 9.45am, finishes by 2.45pm
Physics Department, University of Oxford.
For AS/A2 students who are interested in medicine or medical physics.
For more details contact:
Chris Parkin, Education Officer
The Museum of the History of Science,
University of Oxford
Tel: 01865 277297 www.mhs.ox.ac.uk
Email: christopher.parkin@mhs.ox.ac.uk
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7. Recommended website of the week
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This is a neat and nifty website about the history (our proud history actually!) of engineering. It put things in perspective and profiles the more famous names, and things (like bridges for example). Ideal for older students you get the how, where, why and who of engineering triumphs. ‘Where’ is searchable for local knowledge. Go to the home page if you are really interested in the subject as they are seeking new writers at the moment.
If you’ve got a good website to recommend then send it along to us at planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk with RWW in the subject line. Thank you very gladly.
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The lucky winners of the two rather superior bird boxes on offer last week are:
Diane Murray of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Julie Quarterman of Aylesbury.
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9. Joke of the week
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Here’s a spud related blog, including the WW1 spud grenade story.
And a ‘joke’.
Why wouldn't the reporter leave the mashed potatoes alone?
He desperately wanted a scoop.
Oooo dear. And something you’ll have to read out loud a couple of times before you get it…
A man went into a department store and asked an assistant, "Do you sell potato clocks?"
"Potato clocks, sir? I'm not sure what you mean," replied the assistant.
"Well," came the explanation, "I'm always being late for work, and my boss said I would get there before nine if I got a potato clock ...."
There’s more potato related nonsense here if you found that appealing.
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It would take an area the size of 56,000 Wembley Stadium football pitches to grow all the potatoes needed for the chips consumed in Great Britain each year.
