Chemical Cookery: Year 9 Take Science into the Kitchen.

Who says science can’t be delicious? Year 9 students recently stepped outside their usual curriculum to dive into the fascinating world of molecular gastronomy, where chemistry and cooking collide! Their challenge? To create a dish that looked like a classic plate of spaghetti and meatballs, but with a surprising twist. Instead of pasta and meat, students made white chocolate spaghetti and raspberry ‘meatballs’ using cutting-edge techniques and a dash of chemical magic!

Using ingredients like sodium alginate, calcium lactate and agar agar, students explored how science can transform textures and states of matter. The experience introduced them to spherification, a process that turns liquids into delicate, jelly-like spheres, and gelification, which allowed them to turn white chocolate into noodle-like strands.

The kitchen turned into a laboratory as students experimented with different methods to perfect their dishes. Some struggled with getting the right consistency for their raspberry spheres, while others found the spaghetti strands to be trickier than expected. However, through teamwork and problem-solving, they all managed to plate up a unique and tasty creation!

“It was so cool to see how science could change food in such unexpected ways,” said one Year 9 student. “I never thought I’d be making spaghetti out of chocolate, but now I kind of want to try making other weird food experiments at home!”

The Chemical Cookery session was a brilliant opportunity for students to develop their practical skills, creativity and understanding of food science. It’s safe to say that the world of cooking will never look the same again for these young scientists!

Who knows, maybe we have some future molecular gastronomists in our midst? Next time, we might just see exploding desserts or edible foams on the menu!  Watch this space!

Mr Dean

Science Department

All students in year 7 are taking part in the ‘Step into the NHS’ competition.  

The ‘Step into the NHS’ competition, empowers students to explore the diverse career opportunities within the NHS. Through this competition, young minds are encouraged to envision themselves as integral parts of the healthcare system, fostering a sense of purpose and inspiration for their future endeavours. 

For the competition, students have been asked to research a variety of careers within the NHS, pick a job which appeals to them and then create a job description and a job advert to promote their chosen career in a creative and original way. 

The judges of the competition will select ten regional winners who will each win a £25 Amazon voucher. These regional winners will then have the opportunity to pitch their work virtually to a panel of judges, who will crown the national winner. They will win a £50 Amazon voucher. 

Year 7 students have been researching their chosen roles and starting to create their adverts. Keep your eyes peeled for future newsletters to see some of their final work.  

Good luck, everyone!

Mrs Harrison

Science Department

In Year 7 Science, students have been learning about forces. Some students took part in an exciting hands-on experiment by creating parachutes for toy dinosaurs.

The key question guiding their inquiry was ‘how does adding a parachute to a toy dinosaur affect the time taken for it to fall?’ To find out, students attached small parachutes to their toy dinosaurs and released them from a height, measuring how long it took for them to reach the ground.

Throughout their experiment, students discovered that adding a parachute increased the amount of air resistance acting on the toy dinosaur, which slowed down its fall. This happens because the parachute increases the surface area, causing more air particles to collide with the parachute, creating resistance.

By comparing the fall times of the dinosaurs with and without parachutes, students were able to clearly see how air resistance plays a crucial role in controlling the speed of falling objects. The investigation not only helped students understand air resistance but also deepened their appreciation for how forces work in the world around them.

Mrs Harrison

Science Teacher

This year, four of our students, Eva, Esther, Daisy and Phoebe had the exciting opportunity to represent the school at the regional heats of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s ‘Top of the Bench’ competition. Hosted at the University of Central Lancashire, the event brought together some of the brightest young minds from local schools to compete in a day full of challenging and hands-on science activities. The day began with a series of practical science tasks, where our team worked in the university’s state-of-the-art labs. Competing against other schools, the girls demonstrated impressive teamwork, problem-solving skills and a real passion for science. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to experience university-level facilities and collaborate with like-minded peers.In the afternoon the team was presented with a forensic science puzzle; an intriguing challenge where they had to work out who the ‘murderer’ was based on clues found at the crime scene. Our team meticulously tested for blood footprints, dusted for fingerprints, analyzed photographs from the scene, and even tested for gunpowder residue. The girls compared bullet casings and worked tirelessly to piece together the evidence. While we didn’t make it through to the national finals, the girls gave it their all and represented the school brilliantly throughout the day. Their enthusiasm, dedication and scientific curiosity were evident in every task they tackled. We’re incredibly proud of how they conducted themselves and how they showcased their talents. A huge congratulations to Eva, Esther, Daisy and Phoebe for their hard work and determination. 

Mr Coogan

Science Department

This term, Year 10 students have been diving into the fascinating world of static electricity in their Physics lessons. One of the highlights has been their hands-on experience with the Van de Graaff generator—a device that never fails to spark curiosity! The Van de Graaff generator works by building up a static charge. As the rubber belt inside the machine moves, it transfers electrons onto a metal dome, creating a large positive charge. When a student places their hands on the dome, the charge spreads through their body, repelling individual hairs from one another causing that classic ‘hair-raising’ effect! Students have explored how static charge builds up through friction and how it can be discharged, often in the form of a small spark. They have had a great time!

Mrs Honeyman

Curriculum Leader for Science

At Penwortham Girls’ High School, the Science Club has been buzzing with excitement and curiosity! Starting with hands-on activities, our budding scientists have been busy exploring the wonders of the natural world – and it’s been fantastic!

The main highlight has been our exploration into the fascinating world of stick insects. These incredible creatures have amazed us with their ability to blend seamlessly into their surroundings, camouflaging so well that you’d hardly know they were there! Our students have loved getting up close and personal with these amazing insects, learning about their habitat and how they survive in the wild.

But that’s not all! We’ve also been getting colourful with our red cabbage indicator experiment. This natural pH indicator is really easy to make. Our young scientists have had fun testing the acidity of various substances that you would find at home. The excitement when that red cabbage juice changes colour before our eyes is contagious and it’s a brilliant way to learn about acids and alkalis!

The best part? The attendance at Science Club has been exceptional! We’ve had a great turnout of keen students each week, who show real enthusiasm and dedication to the subject. Our regular attendees have been incredible – always eager to try new experiments, share ideas and ask questions that show just how much they’re learning. It’s inspiring to see so many students passionate about science and working together to explore, experiment and discover!

Whether it’s examining the delicate legs of a stick insect or watching a cabbage juice rainbow unfold, Science Club at Penwortham Girls’ High School is the place to be for all thing’s science! We can’t wait to see what other exciting experiments are in store for us the rest of the term. Stay curious and keep exploring the amazing world of science with us!

Interested in joining? Our doors are always open for new members who want to explore the wonders of science with like-minded friends. We’d love to see you there! Come and see Mrs Cahill in Rm 44 at Tuesday break times. 🌟🔬

Mrs Cahill

Science Department

Have you ever wondered how a candle burns, how a car engine works or why fireworks explode in dazzling colours? The answer lies in combustion!

Combustion is a chemical reaction where a fuel reacts with oxygen to release energy in the form of heat and light. This process is also known as burning. It’s why a match lights up, why wood burns in a fireplace and even why our bodies can use food for energy.

The Fire Triangle:

For combustion to happen, three things are needed:

Fuel – A substance that burns, like wood, petrol or gas.

Oxygen – Usually from the air.

Heat – A spark or flame to start the reaction.

If you remove any one of these, combustion stops. This is why firefighters use water to cool fires or foam to cut off oxygen.

Types of Combustion:

Complete Combustion – When there is plenty of oxygen, fuel burns fully, producing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O) with a blue flame and lots of energy.

Incomplete Combustion – When there isn’t enough oxygen, it produces carbon monoxide (CO) (a dangerous gas) and soot (carbon). This creates a yellow flame and less energy.

Combustion in Year 9:

Year 9 have been studying this and using molymods to model the reactions and what the different products can be. By using molymods, this allowed them to understand how the atoms get rearranged and the conservation of mass works, allowing them to balance chemical equations. 

Mr Dean

Science Department