Cambridge United Community Trust and AztraZeneca were proud to host the inaugural Active Science Day at the Cambs Glass Stadium on Friday 14th July.
The event was a culmination of this year’s work on the Active Science project, delivered in partnership with AstraZeneca at Primary Schools across the region, and provided a chance to celebrate what we have achieved towards our aim of inspiring the next generation of scientists through sport.
Over 75 Year 5 children and their teachers from Cheveley, Gamlingay and Orchard Park schools gathered for a carousel of activities held on the pitch and in the Mundipharma Community Stand. Also in attendance for the afternoon were Heidi Allen MP and Daniel Zeichner MP, Cambridge United first team players and representatives from AztraZeneca and Cambridge Science Centre.
The first activity saw children take part in a ‘Football Forces’ session led by Simon Wall, CUCT Community Liaison Officer, in which they linked forces such as gravity to how a football might behave during a football match. First team players helped the children explore scientific concepts such as how equal and opposite forces act on a ball during a game and how the effects of applying different amounts of force can be seen.
For the second element of the afternoon, the children took part in a Q & A session with representatives from AztraZeneca and the Cambridge United first team. Our panellists answered a wide range of queries focused primarily on the links between science and sport, and were all hugely impressed by the thought that had gone into the children’s questions. This session proved not only to be hugely informative and interesting, but thought provoking for our young audience, who were able to see how the two fields of science and sport are inextricably linked.
The third and final aspect of the carousel was the chance to explore a selection of wonderful interactive exhibits from Cambridge Science Centre. From testing different shape spinners in a wind tunnel, to building models of mammals and interactive touchscreen displays exploring habitats, our young (and older!) visitors had a great time investigating the activities on offer. Once again, Cambridge United players were on hand to support the children as they developed their scientific understanding in a fun and informative learning environment.
Everyone involved in the afternoon was overwhelmingly positive about the impact of the event. Several younger visitors were asked for their responses to the afternoon and their answers included “The best afternoon ever!” and “Really great – I learned so much and had loads of fun too!”
Following on from the success of Friday, we are already planning how we can develop Active Science Day as we move into the next academic year.
The Active Science programme is a shining example of how Cambridge United Community Trust aims to work across the curriculum in local primary schools. Our partnership with AztraZeneca has been crucial in the development and delivery of this project, for without their support this work would not have been possible.