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Science sharing

Share what you’ve learned and tell a friend all about your exciting experiments.

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You’ll need

  • Science items (for example, magnifying glasses, gloves, safety glasses)

Before you begin

  • It’s a good idea to run this activity at end of your science experiments. Check out Colourful world or Foam dough for some ideas to get your experiments started.

Story time

  1. Everyone should sit in a circle.
  2. Someone should read Public Speaking by Annabel Rose. This story is about building confidence and sharing experiences.
  3. After reading the story, everyone should take some time to reflect on it as a group. We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.

Umar was feeling nervous. Everyone had made their favourite recipe and brought the food along to share with their friends. Umar wasn’t worried about his cupcakes – he knew they tasted good. He was worried about talking in front of everyone.

Umar didn’t like being the centre of attention. When he tried to talk in front of lots of people, it made him feel a bit funny. His face would get really warm. He’d be able to hear his heart beating faster than usual. And it would feel like his tummy was jumping up and down all over the place.

‘What’s wrong, Umar?’ asked his friend Zayna.

‘I don’t want to tell everyone about my cakes,’ Umar replied.

‘Why?’ asked Zayna. ‘Have you forgotten what you put in them? Is it because there’s a secret ingredient? Do they taste bad? Did you steal the recipe from someone scary?’

‘No!’ said Umar, giggling. Zayna was funny, and she always made him feel a bit better. ‘I don’t like it when everyone looks at me! I always forget what I want to say.’

Zayna thought for a minute. She loved talking to people (and making them laugh), and she couldn’t wait to tell everyone about the recipe she’d made. Then she had an idea.

‘What if I help you?’ she said. ‘We can stand up together, and I can do the talking.’

‘OK!’ said Umar. ‘Thanks, Zayna.’ 

And then it was time to begin. Umar and Zayna heard about people’s desserts, breads, curries, and stews. Someone had even made their own ice cream! Zayna loved telling people all about her family’s banana bread recipe.

Soon, it was Umar’s turn. He still felt a little bit nervous, but it was much better with Zayna by his side.

‘These are Umar’s cupcakes,’ Zayna began. ‘He made them with his… dad?’ Umar nodded. ‘I think they look really delicious and also like he spent ages making them look nice. And I think they’re probably coffee flavoured because they’re brown with... ketchup on top?’

Umar laughed again. Zayna was so silly. But she wasn’t quite right.

‘They’re actually chocolate! With raspberry sauce!’ Umar said, surprising himself. ‘I made them with my dad – we got the raspberries from his friend’s garden, but everything else came from the shops. It was my idea to do a chocolate cake with the raspberries because they’re my favourite flavours. It made my arm really tired because we had to keep stirring for ages – and it was really hard not to eat the raspberries while we were baking, too.’

Umar looked around. Had he really just said all of that, in front of everyone? He had. Everyone clapped, and Zayna was smiling too. It was always easier to do scary things with a friend by your side.

By Annabel Rose


Share some science

  1. Everyone should split into pairs.
  2. Everyone should take it in turns to tell their partner about their exciting experiment. They should explain what they did and tell their partner something they found out. They could also show their partner something they’ve made as part of the experiment.
  1. When everyone’s finished sharing in pairs, they should come back together and sit in a circle.
  2. The person leading the activity should put some science items in the middle of the circle.
  1. The person leading the activity should ask if anyone would like to share their experiment ideas with the whole group.
  2. If anyone wants to share, they should choose an item (or two) from the middle of the circle to help them share their ideas with the group.
  3. Everyone should listen carefully to each other and try to remember something about what each person shares.

Reflection

This activity encouraged everyone to communicate and develop skills by sharing some of the things they learned or enjoyed with each other.

Public Speaking

  • Why was Umar nervous before talking in front of other people?
  • How did Zayna help Umar feel more confident?

Share some science

  • Did people enjoy sharing their ideas with the group?
  • Was it more difficult to talk in front of everyone or to listen and remember what other people were saying?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You don’t have to use items – you could also print out (or draw) some different pictures or emojis for everyone to use as they share. For example, they could use a happy face to show they enjoyed their experiment, or a shocked face if they were surprised by the results.

Don’t push anyone to share if they don’t want to – it can be really challenging for some people. Where you can, try to offer people different ways to share; they may prefer to draw something to show everyone instead of talking.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Squirrels Exciting Experiments Activity Badge

Think about how you could share some of the things you learned when you get home. Maybe you could draw some pictures to help you explain your findings. You could even try some more experiments at home.