How To Raise A Happy Genius

Here at How To Raise A Happy Genius, we are strong believers in the importance of expanding the horizons of children through the provision of practical and hands-on experiences. This is particularly true when it comes to science, technology, engineering and maths (known as STEM subjects), and we believe that the earlier that children are exposed to these subjects, the better – both in terms of making children aware of these subjects, and in developing the critical thinking and ‘trial-and-error’ style of learning and problem-solving that are required for STEM subjects.

As a result, we have created a range of STEM workshops specifically for nurseries and kindergartens. These interactive and fun workshops are specifically designed for children between the ages of three and five to encourage them to think about the world around them in the same way that a scientist would. Each workshop lasts between forty-five minutes and an hour, and is run by Dr Colin M. Drysdale, a children’s author and real-life scientist who has passion for teaching children about science, technology, engineering and maths.

At the moment, we are offering five such workshops covering a range of STEM topics (see below). These can be booked individually, in any combination, or as a single block to be run at the same time for six consecutive weeks. These workshops cost £50 per session (plus travel costs if outside of Greater Glasgow), with a block of six sessions booked as a single block costing £255 (plus travel costs if outside Greater Glasgow). To book a workshop (or if you have any questions about them), complete the form at the bottom of this page or email us at colin@howtoraiseahappygenius.com. Please Note: These workshops are currently only available in central Scotland.

If you are looking for details of our STEM workshops for primary schools, you can find them here, while you can find details of our workshops for home educators here.

The workshops we currently offer for nurseries are:

1. Our Incredible Inflatable Solar System: This workshop introduces the children to the different planets in our solar system. It uses balloons ranging in size from just over two centimetre in diameter (for Mercury) to over seventy centimetres (for Jupiter) to allow the children to see how big the different planets in our solar system are and how they compare to each other. It also introduces the children to the distances between the planets, the order that they are in, and how much the weight of everyday objects would differ on each planet using a standard two-pint milk bottle. This gives the children a practical way of visualising our solar system and the objects it contains that they will carry with them as they move into primary school. This workshop can be run inside, but ideally it would be run in an outside space to allow the children to fully grasp the immense distance between the planets.

2. Ginormous Geysers: This workshop takes place in an outside space and introduces the children to the way that scientists study the world around them using experiments based on the classic fizzy drink geyser effect (where you drop Mentos into a bottle of diet cola). It starts by showing the children what happens when you drop two Mentos into a bottle of diet cola (it creates a small geyser). The children are they asked what they think will happened if you drop four Mentos in at the same time (will it be the same or will it go higher?). Their answer is then tested by dropping four Mentos into a bottle of diet cola. This is then repeated using different numbers of Mentos and caps with different shaped holes in them to explore the impact that these changes have on the height of the geyser that is created, and to see if the children can work out how to make the geyser go as high as possible. By conducting these very basic, but fun, experiments, the children learn about the way scientists investigate the world around them by varying one thing at a time and testing what impact it has.

3. 

   An example of an air-powered rocket made from an empty plastic bottle that is used in this workshop..

   Rockets Galore: This workshop introduces the children to space exploration by investigating how rockets work. First, the children are introduced to what rockets are and how they are used to launch satellites and other space craft into space. They then get to design their own paper rocket, which they can customise to make their own. To demonstrate how rocket engines work, this rocket is then fitted with an ‘engine’ made from a 35 mm film canister containing water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet. When mixed, the water and the tablet release a small amount of carbon dioxide gas, but it is enough to make a loud pop and fire the paper rocket about six feet into the air. Next, to show how this same principle can be scaled up and used to fire larger rockets much higher, the children are introduced to a rocket made from two litre plastic bottle (the same type of bottle that fizzy drinks come in) that is powered by nothing more than water and air. This is completely safe, but it is enough to fire the rocket up to fifty metres into the sky. Watching this rocket take off will not only show them how rockets work, but it will leave a lasting impression on them that will encourage them to take an interest in both space and engineering.

4. 

   A specially designed circuit of a clown with a light-up red nose that can be powered by electricity from apples, oranges or other fruits.

   Awesome Electricity: This workshop introduces the children to the subject of electricity. It uses practical demonstrations to show how electricity works, what an electrical circuit is, what a battery is, how electricity is made (including how it can be made using renewable energy sources like sunlight and wind) and why it not a good idea to mix electricity and water. These demonstrations use a range of off-the-shelf devices designed for use by children which operate using small batteries and that are completely harmless. These include a handheld van de graaff generator (known as a fun fly stick) to show how electricity can be used to make small objects levitate, an energy stick to demonstrate how electrical circuits work, and a hand-operated dynamo, a mini wind-powered dynamo, a solar-powered robot dog and the classic potato clock set-up to show how electricity can be generated.

5. Amazing Animals: This workshop introduces the children to some of the amazing animals that inhabit our planet using practical demonstrations. During this workshop, the children will learn how to move like different mammals, explore how many of them it would take to be as tall as an elephant, see how fast they can run in comparison to a cheetah, compare their breath-holding ability with a Cuvier’s beaked whale (which can hold its breath for a staggering two hours!), and learn just how big a blue whale really is (and whether they could all fit in a blue whale’s mouth!) by drawing an outline of a full-size blue whale with chalk. This workshop is primarily designed to take place in an outdoor space.

   

   Paper aeroplanes provide a fun way to teach nursery-aged children about engineering and design.

    

6. Plane Crazy: This workshop introduces the children to the idea of design and how engineers use ‘trial-and-error’ learning to work out the best design to solve a particular problem. This is done using paper aeroplanes of different designs that fly in different ways, like flying fast, staying in the air the longest, or even doing a loop-the-loop. This workshop is bets carried out outside, but it can also be carried out indoors.

To book a workshop, or if you have any questions about them, complete the form below or email us at colin@howtoraiseahappygenius.com. Thanks for your interest, and we will be in touch soon.