The Colourbox makes science exciting for every child in Cambridge

>>> Click here for Big Wide Talk's health and safety policy, which includes the risk assessment for this event

Big Wide Talk is inviting every primary school, children’s centre, childminder, and private or voluntary sector nursery in Cambridge to take part in The Colourbox.

This event will take place at the old Brickworks, Manor Community College, Arbury Road from the 23rd of March to the 3rd of April. The Colourbox is a series of very large spaces in which children can replicate Newton’s experiments with light. The observation of children conducting their own experiments then opens up a conversation between parents and teachers about the uniqueness of every child’s creativity and learning.

The event is completely free of charge to everyone. Those wishing to take part simply need to book a time. Each group will be offered two hours in the giant laboratory.

Local MP David Howarth said: ‘This event is a fine example of how the schools and colleges working with non-government organisations such as Big Wide Talk can reach out to the community and bring people together to put children in the spotlight.’

Parents will be especially welcome before, during and after this Cambridge-wide event. Big Wide Talk staff will visit schools and other children’s facilities to talk about the event before people take part and will enable reflective sessions afterwards with parents, children and practitioners.

The Colourbox is an entirely open-ended experience, with children self-directing their thinking, both alone and in working relationships with others. It is especially amenable to the inclusion of children who experience all manner of disability and to children who have been identified as ‘gifted and talented’.

Big Wide Talk searched widely to secure a suitably large-sized venue for the Colourbox to take place during the Cambridge Science Festival without success, despite the many empty warehouse and retail facilities in the City. However, through local school and College networks the disused Brickworks site at Manor Community College was identified as a possibility and the College Head didn’t hesitate to see what could be done.

The Colourbox will take place at Brickworks, Manor Community College, Arbury Road, Cambridge, CB4 2JF from 23rd March to 3rd April. Organisations wishing to take part should phone us on 01223 364727. Classes or groups of children can attend the Colourbox from 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday; each session lasts 2 hours.

"We felt the Colourbox was useful for us as a class. The Colourbox contains exciting activities which we can all come at from our own knowledge base, investigate and take our thinking further in order to develop our understanding of all that is happening here and its relevance to what we see in the world. Using the photographs from the exhibition, the children have written down and told their teacher what they remember of what they did in the Colourbox. The teacher has found that there is a match with the Knowledge and Understanding of the World element of the Early Years Curriculum." - Mabe Community Primary School

"We are very keen that our children learn as much as possible. It was therefore wonderful to see the systematic enquiries in the Colourbox; their questioning about where the rainbows were coming from and how the torches interacted with the rainbows. We would very much like to continue to discuss scientific principles on the basis of this initial exploration." - St Columb Major Community School

All excerpts from stories can be seen in Our Outstanding Children, 2007. (Click to read the full report.)