School Science Days , science shows, Story telling & more

School Science Days or how your school could use me best.


Ian B Dunne

Primary

For a typical day in School(if there is such a thing)
I will take over the hall for the morning and then do a science show or two differentiated by key stage if need be or for big schools by year groups.

The science show that I would recommend and that the kids rave about too would be Science ...The Best Bits. This science show has something for everybody, demos, lots of pretty pictures and specimens, the material roves from astronomy, through forces, tips it's hat at electricity, smells the flowers, gawps at carnivorous plants, stares at animals and winds up with singing dinosaurs. But I can tailor to what you want.

I will probably need a data projector and a couple of tables and an hour (or less)to set up, an hour to run, less for KS 1 and more for KS 2 and ten minutes to reset.

For the rest of the day, I would go in individual classes to do more smaller demos, answer questions and tell tales of how the world got to be as it is. There never seems to be enough time for all the things they want to know but I'll do my best and I can normally fight my way out of one room and into the next.

I also tell science stories, Darwin and Faraday and a whole load of others. 30 minute sessions, less for littlies and longer for big scary year six.

There are activities we can do as well, outside for environmental or indoors for a bit of making and thinking.

The little dears of G&T can be catered for.

Science Weeks

Here are some possible themes and ideas. I, of course, have shows that tie in and can make some usful suggestions of activities.
- Environmental, School Grounds Safari, looking about outside and seeing what you find.
- Flight, things that do it, how it works, what to make and even a flight of fancy.
- Move it. Fun stuff with forces.
- Great Scientists (please lets not call them mad)
- Not just a pretty flower. Plants and what they are and why I love them.
- Space, a pretty big subject.

Secondary


In Secondary schools I'll do a science show or four, or five, Great Moments of Science or Science Magic...Magic Science certainly get their attention. I'll do shows in the hall during the day for as many audience as required. Some schools get me to do all of KS3 and some the whole school. It works best by year group, yes, even the year nines.

A lot of secondaries will lay on a performance for their feeders and these go down a storm.

And often is the time I will perform an evening show for parents, the public, anybody in fact.

Another popular bolt on for secondary is sessions with the G&Ts, I always relish a challenge. Here I can let small groups loose with some of my toys and get into things a little deeper.

Special Schools


I think they are great, some of the most fun I have had has been working with these groups. The day tends to be a bit of a hybrid between primary and secondary, with certainly a science show or two. I have had kids ask questions and show interest that their teacher told me are normally very hard to reach. The small group demos go down well.
I particularly remember one girl who really seemed to switch on.

Science Fairs

I have been involved with Education Business Partnerships for a good few years, and they keep asking me back so I must be doing something right.
People are very kind and say things like I put the "WOW" into Science, or "You were the best thing about the whole fair."
So if you are organising one and want the kids to go home zinging with some amazing science rattling around their brains then get me to come along.

Typically the show is 40 minutes to an hour when I take as big an audience as the room will hold and I fit in as many shows as I can.

Story telling : The Science Storyteller

Ian B Dunne

My Science stories are about some of the great and the good (and bad)
who have discovered things, made things, invented things or just had great ideas.

More and more schools seem to be getting me in for their book weeks, either for a simple bit of story telling or some science and storying. There are stories about everything and for everybody.
Pick a subject, go on, just about anything, and there will be a story about it, and with luck I might even know it.
Not just science, and stars, rocks, trees and dinosaurs but people and even things that strictly speaking might not exist.
If the worst comes to the worst I might even make some thing up and see if you can spot the joins.

Storying is the oldest form of drama and entertainment.
People often think it is just for kids but that goes to show how wrong people can be.
I have made people twice my age jump and laugh.
Maybe it goes back a million years or more to our ancestors who first learned to talk sitting round the fire telling tales to fill the long nights and keep the ravenous creatures of the dark away from their dreams, who can say for sure.
But I know that deep down we all love a tale.

Moral tales, why such and such is so and so, history, stories of fairies and giants, there are just so many.
Best of all I like a good bit of mirth and nonsense.
There is something to tell everybody that will, amuse, entertain and maybe even educate them a little.

As a good Scientist and Educator I have been told off for doing most unscientific ghost stories and tales of the supernatural, but, I just can't resist them.

The look of fear and wonder on people's - especially adults - faces, the jump of shock and the nervous laugh are so worth it