A group of about 80 Cubs from across Woking came together for the annual Woking District Cubs Science Day.
Organised and run by district network Scout commissioner Simon Lee and assistant district Cub Scout commissioner Jan Parker, it was held at 7th Woking Scouts HQ.
We were divided into small groups, working with Cubs we didn’t know from other groups which meant we got to know them.
There were plenty of activities on offer; we got to make gyroscopes spin, learnt how to filter water and looked at things through microscopes. We dissected lamb hearts, looking at all the internal workings, which was fascinating. Other activities included chemical reactions.
There were countless demonstrations throughout the day, each better than the last, showing us even more super science. We worked in small groups moving around the activities, having 20 minutes on each one, which everyone agreed was the perfect amount of time.
The activity we enjoyed the most was the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar experiment, where we used the reaction of the two substances to make tiny rockets which fired high into the sky.
Matthew from 1st Horsell Baden Powell Pack said: “After lunch we carried on in our teams, looking at light through lenses and splitting beams up with a prism.
“We also divided up into two groups to make a motor from a battery, a magnet and a toilet paper tube. It was very tricky to build, but we carried on trying, and by doing our best and working together we managed to follow the instructions and when we tested ours it worked. Midway through the afternoon, Simon gave a demonstration on gyroscopes. He showed us that gyroscopes always stay in the same position and that they can spin on end for around 25 minutes.
“My team’s last base was on ropes and pulleys. We tried to lift a weight with a rope, but it was very heavy. We added a pulley which made it easier, and we found out that every time you wound the rope around the pulley it became twice as easy.
“My favourite base involved building a bridge as a team. We first built the bridge from metal bars then added a weight. We had to choose some of the bars to swap for wires and still have the bridge support the weight.
“It was very interesting thinking about which bars could be swapped and which would make the bridge collapse. We learnt that you will not always get it right the first time you try, it takes perseverance, all while having a lot of fun trying out the different designs.
“The science day was great fun, and I really enjoyed the activities and being able to meet up with Cubs from different packs across the Woking District.”
Jan said: “Here in Woking we are very fortunate to have an amazing group of leaders from across the district giving up their time to share their experience and skills to provide the Cubs with events which are both educational and fun. We are very grateful to them for their time and dedication.”