Sandra Beale on STEAM – Experiments for you to try!

Sandra Beale is a mum of three, who started Toddler and Early Years STEAM sessions when her middle son was 9 months old. He’s 8 now!

What started as entertainment solely for her baby soon grew after visiting friends were amazed at a 9-month-old doing science experiments and wanted their children to participate in the sessions.

Since then, the sessions have grown and have appeared several times on the BBC, BBC Tiny Happy People, BBC Radio, local newspapers and magazines and have been nominated for a STEM Initiative of the Year Award at the Cambridge Science and Technology Awards.

Sandra is also a BBC Freelancer for BBC STEM.

The sessions are free and are held every Monday morning at Sandra’s home at 9:30am for an hour throughout the year. There are various themed sessions depending on the time of year.

In this session, Sandra demonstrates how to make a simple ‘hovercraft’ using a CD, bottle top, Blu-Tack and a balloon; how to demonstrate the workings of a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, using just vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and a match; how to make a water fountain using a plastic bottle, a straw and a balloon; how to create a glass of ‘floating water’; climbing water using a plate, candle and glass  – and a bonus experiment of a sinking/floating orange!

Sandra’s experiments always use items that you will already have in your home or setting, or can be bought easily and cheaply. She also talks about her youngest participant – a 14-week-old baby, who was mesmerised by the experiments.

This session has lots of experiments that you can try straight-away, along with the scientific language and explanations that you can use with the children. A fun and practical session.

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/sandratoddlersteam/