Categories: News

University opens science club for primary children

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1963" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" alt&equals;"SND-22-wk 2-University opens science club" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;12&sol;SND-22-wk&lowbar;2-University&lowbar;opens&lowbar;science&lowbar;club&period;jpg" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"199" &sol;>A pilot project that will help connect children&&num;8217&semi;s innate curiosity with real life science is about to start at the University of Otago&comma; Wellington&period; <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The University of Otago&comma; Wellington &lpar;UOW&rpar; and other groups will run a weekly science club with students from M&amacr;oribank and Pinehaven Schools in Upper Hutt to explore how our bodies work&comma; especially the heart and lungs&comma; emphasising the relationship between exercise and health&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Kids are naturally curious about the world they live in&period; We need to foster this innate drive to learn&comma; and help them discover more about how and why things work&comma;&&num;8221&semi; says project leader Dr Max Berry&comma; senior paediatrician at the University of Otago&comma; Wellington&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We&&num;8217&semi;ll be working with the children&&num;8217&semi;s classroom teachers and combining their expertise with that of clinicians and scientists across the Wellington region to really do something different&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Science should be accessible&comma; fun and relevant for these kids – and that&&num;8217&semi;s what this project is all about&comma;&&num;8221&semi; she says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We&&num;8217&semi;ll be supporting classroom learning with a visit to the UOW Centre for Translational Physiology where we can show them science in action&period; We&&num;8217&semi;ll work with them on topics of exercise and health&comma; hygiene and our environment as well as the effects of sugar-based drinks on oral health&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Dr Berry says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Seeing science in action and with practical applications will pique the children&&num;8217&semi;s interest and help them relate real life problems to science&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The Year 7-11 students will become science ambassadors for their schools and take the knowledge and the excitement back to school&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding for this pilot project comes from the 2015 Unlocking Curious Minds contestable fund pilot and will be expanded if successful&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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