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A Song of Ice and Fire
On Tuesday 25th November over 300 pupils from local primary schools joined us at Tavistock College to watch an exciting and engaging show called ‘Fire and Ice’ presented by the Science department.
Mr Smith and Mr Allen gave pupils the chance to see first-hand what happens when you cool a banana to -196 degrees Celsius and at what speed you can launch a methane rocket.
The show consisted of 2 parts: ice and fire. Pupils were shocked and excited to see a range of experiments which used liquid nitrogen, a very cold chemical, to freeze flowers, tennis balls and rubber – they could then be shattered with a hammer! Pupils even had the chance to eat quick-frozen ice cream: chocolate milk mixed with the liquid nitrogen.
The liquid nitrogen boiled at room temperature, giving the stage and audience a spooky feel.
Then came the fire – Mr Smith demonstrated what happens when metals burn in oxygen and this was followed with demonstrations of burning ethanol, coloured metal solutions and the Thermit reaction – so hot it can melt through cars!
Just when the audience thought they had seen enough, the duo went on to burn sweets – making jelly babies scream and angel delight fireballs!
The finale of the show was the most shocking and loud! Pupils made sure they covered their ears as Mr Smith lit balloons filled with hydrogen – a very explosive gas, followed with the pair firing rockets filled with methane.
By the end of the show all pupils were in agreement that they had had a great time, but also learnt some things about Science and reactions. Here’s to another great show next year!
Studying extreme weather from a textbook isn’t good enough for our geographers!
Studying extreme weather from a textbook isn’t good enough for our geographers, they went to experience first Hand the impacts and consequences of the August 2004 floods.
Having had a beautiful day out in the Cornish sunshine, their knowledge of the village will benefit them well in their AS exams.
International Kids’ Lit Quiz
On Friday Nov 28th, Tavistock College hosted the South West Heat of the prestigious International Kids’ Lit Quiz. This was the first time Tavistock had hosted such an event and 27 teams entered from all over
the South West.
The Kids’ Lit Quiz is an annual quiz for students aged 10 – 13 years. Teams of four students, from Year 6, 7 and 8, are asked to answer 100 questions on children’s literature divided into ten categories, which vary each year. Teams work collaboratively to answer each question put to them by the New Zealand Quizmaster Wayne Mills. There are 18 regional heats in the UK. The winning team from each region competes in the National Final which this year will be held at Kings’ College School Wimbledon, London. The overall UK winning team will be invited to compete for the International Title in Connecticut in the summer of 2015.
The fast paced quiz was exciting ad involved spot prizes for the audience of parents and teachers as well as lots of prizes of books for the teams, kindly donated by Bloomsbury Publishers.
The South West heat was won by Truro School, who will travel to London next week to try to win a place in the International Final.
The organisers have thanked Tavistock College for their hospitality and the many 6th formers who helped marshal minibuses, welcomed visitors and scored the quiz.
We wish Truro good luck in London.
