Year 7 News

Lab lessons and arcade games, physics in action for the Year 7's.

Our Year 7 students recently embarked on an exciting and practical trip to the University of Otago's Physics Department. This hands-on experience offered a fantastic opportunity for the students to see physics principles.

The day was structured around a series of interactive stations designed to bring core concepts of mechanics and motion to life.

Students were challenged to think like physicists as they rotated through different tasks:

• Angular Momentum: One station involved investigating the fascinating principle of angular momentum, where students experimented with spinning chairs and weights. They quickly learned how changing their body posture could dramatically affect their speed of rotation—a concept that underlies everything from figure skating spins to the stability of a bicycle.

• Pulleys and Force Plates: The students got practical with pulleys, discovering how simple machines can drastically reduce the amount of force needed to lift an object. They also worked with force plates, which provided instant, measurable data on the forces they exerted just by standing or jumping, linking their physical actions directly to scientific numbers.

• Fulcrums and Levers: The concepts of fulcrums and levers were explored, showing how the placement of a pivot point can multiply force. A 10kg weight was enough to balance 10 children and two adults!

• Newton's Third Law in Action: Perhaps the most memorable station involved students getting to grips—or rather, getting on—Newton's Third Law of Motion. Sitting on specialised crash carts, they pushed off one another and the walls, directly observing the principle that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The laughter and visible "reaction" forces made this station a definite highlight.

The Year 7 students were enthusiastic and engaged throughout the day, asking thoughtful questions and collaborating effectively on the challenges. The trip not only reinforced their classroom learning but also provided a glimpse into the dynamic, exciting world of higher education and scientific research.

A huge thank you to Susi and the students at the University of Otago's Physics Department for hosting us and providing such a rich, stimulating environment. We hope this experience has sparked a lifelong curiosity in physics and science for many of our young learners!

Following their visit to the University of Otago, our Year 7 students continued their physics exploration in a much more casual setting—a specially set up Arcade! Filled with games sourced from Video Tech, the hall became a vibrant space for fun and further learning. Classic arcade machines featuring air hockey and foosball demonstrated principles of momentum and force in an engaging, competitive way. Students also tackled supersized versions of favourite games, using giant Jenga to test stability and centre of gravity, and giant Connect 4 to apply concepts of levers to release the pieces. Even the selection of board games was a lesson in disguise: Hungry Hippos showed off levers and mechanisms, the claw machine required skill in estimating friction and force, and Mousetrap provided a fantastic, complex chain reaction illustrating a series of simple machines and kinetic energy transfer. The arcade proved that physics isn't just about equations; it's the exciting engine behind every bounce, block, and winning move!

The Year 7s will now be busy creating their own cardboard arcade games in preparation for the end-of-term Arcade Day. If you have any egg cartons, Food Bag or Hello Fresh cardboard boxes, classes would greatly appreciate these.

On Friday, we will be holding the Year 7 speech contest. The students have been through their class and team speeches, and now we have the 9 finalists ready for Friday morning. A huge thank you to Esther Haines and Graeme from Toastmasters, who have agreed to come along and judge our event.