Çevre College Students In The Science Festival Edinburgh
The Edinburgh International Science Festival is the world's first and largest science-education festival, held annually every spring since 1989. Students from schools around the world will visit the festival this year between March 31 and April 15.
We attended the "International Science Festival" in Edinburgh, Scotland, with our 7th-grade students from April 9 to 12.
On April 9, we had a pleasant journey from Atatürk Airport to Edinburgh. From Calton Hill, which overlooks the city of Edinburgh, we had a bird’s-eye view of the Palace of Holyrood, Old Town, New Town, and Arthur's Seat. We then walked along Waverley Bridge to Edinburgh Castle. The castle had an imposing appearance behind a large area. During our visit, we explored several places within the castle, including the National War Museum, the War Prison, and many more.
On the second day, we began with Camera Obscura. Camera Obscura is a place where we could observe many optical experiments. In this area, which uses illusions, mirrors, and light games, it is inevitable to experience balance problems, especially while moving inside a cylindrical rotating reflector. In addition, with the help of a pinhole camera and lens, we had the opportunity to observe the city view on a flat white table in a dark room. It was an enjoyable visual show to place the people and vehicles from the projected image on the table onto a piece of white paper and then drop them as if they were falling from above. After Camera Obscura, we walked to the City Art Centre for the International Science Festival events. Our students participated in many activities, such as Chain Reactor, ER, Gadget Factory, Mini Mechanics, and more.
Chain Reactor: It is a system approximately 10 meters long, powered by a series of chemical reactions. In the Robo Constructors and Creative Littlebits Circuits activities, our students designed materials using various equipment, just like engineers. With the ER activity, our students participated in a simulated surgery in an operating room as doctors, working on a model. In the Gadget Factory, they were introduced to electrical devices we use every day, learning how they work and designing their own versions.
After leaving the City Art Centre, we followed the Holyrood street to reach Our Dynamic Earth. After a short walk, we arrived at Our Dynamic Earth, which resembled a large white tent. Our Dynamic Earth includes simulations, diagrams, models, and videos that help us observe the formation of the universe and Earth, the beginning and development of life on our planet, climate zones, and the distribution of living creatures according to climate conditions. We examined the life of astronauts in space and artificial living spaces we might need on other planets in the future. In the 5D cinema, we made a short visit to the continents. In the planetarium, we learned about the planets in the Solar System. After leaving Our Dynamic Earth, we took a bus to Ocean Terminal. We had the opportunity to explore the oceanfront area and visit local attractions.
On the third day, we visited the Edinburgh Zoo, one of the largest zoos in the world, where we saw pandas, penguins, rodents, raptors, and many other animal species. Afterward, we took a Double Decker bus back to the city center. We walked to the National Museum of Scotland. The museum had exhibitions related to the science festival, halls displaying clothing and artifacts from different cultures, and areas where we were greeted by dinosaur fossils in all their grandeur.
On the fourth day, after three very busy and enjoyable days, we completed our journey by heading to Edinburgh Airport and then back to Istanbul. We were very happy to have had the opportunity to experience different cultures, spend three days filled with science and history, actively participate in science demonstrations and workshops, and use our foreign language skills effectively with our students.
