Year 3 Visits Secondary Science

Year 3 Visits Secondary Science

Primary students gain hands-on experience with the Secondary science department.


Year 3 students took a trip across campus to visit the Secondary Science department, kick starting their learning unit about light. In the Science Lab, our brilliant technicians asked the students questions about their unit topics to find out what they already knew, sparking a discussion about how light travels. Through demonstrations using colourful lasers and a smoke box, the students discovered that light travels in straight lines. Year 3 then experienced the tricks light can play as they experimented with the reflection of a Bunsen burner. They were amazed at how the reflection made it look like they were putting their hands right into the fire. “I was scared that my hand was about to be burnt, but then I went to the other side and realised there was no flame!” said one student.

Year 3 students also visited the roof of the Secondary Science department where they learnt how solar panels use energy from the sun to power different objects. They managed to make a light turn on and a buzzer sound, and were interested to see how these objects only turned on when the solar panel was pointed directly at the sun. The students then used binoculars to spot the solar panels Patana uses to provide the school with energy. This experience further facilitated an important discussion about the Year 3 students’ current study of Antarctica, as well as the issues surrounding climate change.

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