It’s never too early to be a scientist! So we will be holding regular STEMtot sessions and encouraging our youngest children to become engaged and be inspired through fantastic activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Aimed at children from 2 to 5 years, each session will be run by Sandra Beale who has extensive experience in running sessions for toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Run twice a month, each session is based around simple, hands-on activities which are aimed at getting children involved and excited, through a combination of play and sensory activities, and using a variety of mediums including soap, sand, glue, ice, flowers, colour, water, shaving foam and water beads. What could be more fun!

Sandra has been running amazing online sessions throughout lockdown and previously, in person. As she says: “At our sessions we have made working hearts and lungs, looked at the composition of blood, created working wells, lifts, conveyor belts, built suspension bridges, towers of paper, ziplines, and created flowing rivers and actual rainbows. In addition, we have made volcanoes, explored density, buoyancy, looked at separating colour, mixing colour and light, painted with porridge, with light, watched water travel, climb, float, walk, bounced marbles and many other fun STEM activities”.

Her in-person and online sessions are extremely popular and have been covered by the BBC and have also appeared in several newspapers and magazines and is featured in Essex2020.

This week our session will be:

20 August – Fizzing! – Playing with fizzing colours, volcanoes and hover crafts

The Centre will open at 9.30am so parents can arrive and children enjoy a little free play while they settle in.

• 10:00am Session starts

• 10:30am Break (please bring own refreshments)

• 10:40 am Session resumes

• 11:10am Session ends

Other STEMtots events will cover:

• 11 June – Splash – exploring water

• 25 June – Bounce – exploring gravity and bounce

• 9 July – Float – exploring buoyancy, density and building a working well

• 23 July – Matter – playing with solids, gas, liquid and air pressure

• 6 August – Magnets and movement – exploring magnets, mazes and lava lamps

• 20 August – Fizzing! – Playing with fizzing colours, volcanoes and hover crafts

Sessions must be booked and children accompanied by an adult. Younger children and babies are welcome to come along.