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Family fun

18th May 2020

UCD Festival @ Home is taking place this week with lots of ‘at home’ experiments

Melissa Carton

So much fun.

How do food scientists make chewing gum? What do gum and slime have in common? Why are disposable nappies so dangerous to animals, and what happens to our streets when local rivers get clogged up with litter?

The UCD Festival @ Home is taking place this week from May 21 to 23 and it is filled with experiments you can try at home with the kids.

The programme, available free online, has a family-friendly line up with Scientific Sue.

Scientific Sue will be online on Friday May 22 and Saturday May 23, to teach her viewers all about slime, plastic and polymers, how to make invisible ink and paint that fades over time (every parents dream), and to show us how long it takes for rubbish to break down in nature.

Viewers can also tune in to see Explorium’s Mark Langtry create a live lightning show on the UCD campus!

The UCD Festival has become known for its inspirational science and innovation zone.

There may not be a hands-on component this year, but the virtual experiments and demonstrations will give a STEAM learning experience for budding scientists of all ages.

UCD will have engaging science communicators on hand, including UCD’s Philip Smyth, UCD alumnus and Explorium’s Science Guy Mark Langtry along with Scientific Sue and challenges from Microsoft and the UCD Innovation Academy.

There’s lots to do and it can all be done from the comfort of your own home so why not browse all the events and join in by visiting the UCD Festival website.