sciZmic Newsletter 11: September 2003

Introduction
Young Engineers for Britain
Free maps for schools
World Wildlife Fund - Walk for Wildlife
Bletchley Park
Activity of the month - new feature!

Introduction
Welcome back after the long summer break, and welcome to our newly signed up clubs. You'll be happy to know that sciZmic staff haven't been sunning themselves, but have been preparing for another busy year in the world of science and discovery clubs. Prepare yourselves for a year of confectionery chemistry, sciZmic space races, debates with a difference, girl-guiding go-for-its, wonderful weather and glorious gardening.

You can find our up-to-date events list on www.scizmic.net, events are booked through each science centre, or you can contact us for more information (scizmic@scizmic.net).

We've also been busy finding out about some cool resources and projects, and don't forget to check out the 'Activity of the Month' at the bottom of this page or on www.scizmic.net.

Young Engineers for Britain
And the winner is... Jack Tovey for his fantastic 'Flood Plug'. Jack designed a neat contraption to stop flood water entering houses through the airbricks you find around the edge of your house. Well done to Jack, he's off to the USA next year to compete at an international level (and he won £5000 to share with his school). In all,Young Engineers from across the UK walked away with prizes totalling over £20K. Why don't you get your science discovery club to try one of their challenges or projects next year?
http://www.youngeng.org/ Or prepare to enter the BA Science Fair in February (www.the-ba.net).

Free maps for schools
If your school hasn't registered (and it has Y7, P7 pupils) - make sure it does - the pupils are entitled to one OS map each! Schools it Great Britain must register by 10th October.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/freemapsfor11yearolds/

World Wildlife Fund - Walk for Wildlife
Walk for wildlife and save Polar Bears!
http://www.wwf.org.uk/walk/

Bletchley Park
sciZmic are taking their 'stem cell debates' off to Bletchley Park in December, and if you can't make that, there are plenty of other science things happening in the code-breaking capital of the UK! These range from Robocup to Industry events. Book the events through Bletchley Park. registrar@bletchleypark.org.uk http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/

Activity of the month - new feature!
Fresh from the Big Toe Studio (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/bigtoe), sciZmic Ros brings you 'iron rich breakfast cereals'.

Iron fortified breakfast cereals contain iron, but did you know that this is often in the form of iron filings!

To find them you need:

2/3 cup of breakfast cereal (rice crispies work well)
Something to crush them with (e.g. child's rolling pin)
Water
A magnet - a fridge magnet will work (especially one of those with a big magnet glued on, rather than a strip magnet), but a coated magnet makes it easier to see the iron filings.

What to do:

Crush the breakfast cereal in a cup, using the rolling pin, thick dowel or something similar.
Fill the cup with water up to the original level of the breakfast cereal.
Stir the gunge with the magnet (you could attach it to a pencil or similar) for at least five minutes.
Be careful - try not to knock the magnet against the edge!
Rinse the magnet by moving it gently up and down in another cup of water.
The iron filings will be easily visible on a coated magnet, they cluster on the corners. You could look at thim with a magnifying glass, or your Intel Microscope!

Things to investigate:

Which cereals contain most iron filings?
Do other iron fortified foods contain iron filings?
Why do we need iron?
How much of the iron we eat at breakfast stays in our body?

Rosalind Mist
Project Manager for sciZmic, the science discovery clubs network
ros@scizmic.net
3 Harvest Hill, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1RU
Tel 01483 420261
www.scizmic.net