Oliver and Amelie Beale on STEM experiments for children

Oliver Beale started doing experiments with his mum Sandra Beale when he was 9 months old, his confidence and concentration at such a young age while focused on creating mini coloured explosions with vinegar and bicarb grabbed the attention of several visitors with young children who wanted their children to participate in the sessions.

The science sessions started by his mum to interest and excite the very youngest children in the community has since grown from that first afternoon on a cold February day in 2015 and as appeared on many BBC channels, Early Years TV and in local papers and national magazines. Toddler and STEM workshops have been held up and down the country, and in the Saffron Walden Museum, Cambridge Science Centre and since last year the Saffron Walden Library.

And now here is Oliver age 10 doing some science experiments for you, to celebrate 10 years of Toddler and Early Years STEM. We are also joined by his sister Amelie Beale.

The experiments can also be found in his mum’s Toddler STEM book published by Bloomsbury – 50 fantastic ideas for STEM activities by Sandra Beale.

In this delightful session, Oliver and Amelie share simple yet fascinating STEM experiments that early years practitioners can easily recreate in their settings. Using everyday materials like balloons, kitchen roll, marbles and rice, they demonstrate scientific concepts such as gravity, friction and capillary action in ways that captivate young learners and make science accessible and enjoyable.

In this episode you’ll:

• Discover how to create a ‘sneezing nose’ experiment using just a balloon and kitchen roll to demonstrate how germs spread when we sneeze
• Learn to make a miniature trampoline for marbles with a balloon and cup to explore gravity in action
• See how friction can be used to lift a jar of rice with nothing but a pencil
• Watch Amelie demonstrate ‘tumbling beads’ and observe the fascinating chain reaction of gravity
• Explore capillary action through a growing rainbow experiment that shows how water travels up kitchen roll carrying coloured markers

Join us as we welcome these young science enthusiasts who prove that STEM activities can engage children from the very earliest age using simple materials found in every nursery setting.

Episode Links:

https://amzn.to/3EDU50y

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/50-fantastic-ideas-for-stem-activities-9781801996174/