Today, we were lucky enough to visit Magna on our second school trip of the year! Magna is a science adventure centre but this trip also linked brilliantly to our current geography topic: volcanoes.
We had some time at the start of the day to wander round and explore Magna. There are four pavilions: water, fire, air and earth. Your children were particularly fascinated by the water and fire pavilions. We had lots of fun with the different interactive machines.
The children then attended a fantastic workshop all about volcanoes and rocks – they loved it! At first, your children were given 8 rocks and 8 clues (e.g., this rock floats in water). They had to use these clues to identify which rock was which. All groups scored 8/8!
Next was our particular highlight, we made…volcanoes! By mixing vinegar, dish soap and baking soda, your children were able to make their own volcanic eruption! We spoke about how volcanologists take samples of volcanic rock to learn more about them. Your children then got a chance to take some samples of their own volcanoes and discuss what they showed.
Another highlight of the day was the Big Melt. This was an incredible SFX show where we learnt all about how they used to melt steel right there in Magna. It was incredible to learn that the Big Melt used to reach a temperature of 1,600 degrees – that’s even hotter than lava!
We all had a fantastic time and loved learning even more about volcanoes!
Help at home: ask your children to write a short recount (retell events and describe what happened) about their trip to Magna. They can pick out their three favourite moments to describe.