Summer full of SCIENCE

With six classroomfree weeks stretching out in front of them, children look forward to the summer holidays all year round.

But after one or two (or even three) weeks of lazing around the house with nothing to do, they might be more keen for some STEM learning than even they would admit.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics – the fiendishly difficult and sometimes rather dull subjects which often prove challenging for school-age children.

But replace the traditional classroom environment with physical experiments, interactive displays and engaging experts and suddenly it’s a whole different ball game.

The Aberdeen Science Centre (ASC) should be your first port of call.

Located at a temporary home on George Street while its main building is undergoing refurbishment, the centre is home to a variety of science and engineering exhibits designed to get kids engaged with STEM subjects.

Alongside the famous pooping sheep (officially named Jimmy), this summer ASC is running two special themed exhibitions with additional displays and exhibits.

Funded by The Royal Society of

Chemistry, the first theme is ChemMysteries, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the creation of the periodic table.

Each week, special shows will be put on to explain more about the elements and their uses in the modern world, along with explosive experiments and hands-on activities.

This summer is also ASC’s Summer of Engineering, which includes a programme of events sponsored by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

Youngsters will be able to navigate their very own subsea rover and create paper aeroplanes to fly between miniature oil platforms around the centre.

Later in the summer, ASC is also celebrating 50 years since the moon landing, with a week of special events set to take over the exhibition floor. Come August, Aberdeen’s annual festival of all things science and engineering will be in full swing.

TechFest is now in its 26th year and aims to encourage audiences of all ages to take an interest in STEM learning subjects through its five-day programme of talks, tours, shows and activities.

Running from August 24 to 28, venues across the city will be taken over by experts in maths, science, technology and engineering, with activities for early years children right through to the elderly.

For more details on TechFest see www.techfestsetpoint.org.uk

All special exhibitions at ASC are included in the admission price of £5 for children and £5.75 for adults, and the centre is open seven days a week. For more information visit www. aberdeensciencecentre.org

Children can navigate their own subsea rover

Experimenting with liquid nitrogen at TechFest.