Skittles, Science & Smiles: Primary 7 Visit BioCity for a Hands-On STEM Morning

BDD was delighted to welcome a Primary 7 group from Noble Primary School in Bellshill to BioCity for a whistle-stop tour of what being a scientist looks like in the real world. Alongside our neighbours at Enterobiotix, we ran a fun, hands-on session showing how everyday observations and simple experiments can explain how medicines work.

A quick hello, then straight into the lab

We kicked off with a 10-minute introduction in the auditorium before splitting the pupils into three rotating groups (12 children per group). Safety first: PPE on, why it matters, and how scientists look after themselves and their colleagues.

“We make tablets”: dissolving, timing, and thinking like scientists

BDD’s Coral led a mini-practical to explore how tablet coatings dissolve. The setup was simple: warm water, room-temperature water, vinegar, and oil. Pupils wrote a hypothesis (“Which liquid will dissolve the sugar coating fastest?”), nominated a timekeeper, then dropped Skittles in to test their predictions.

As the colours began to run, Coral guided a chat about what tablet coatings are made of (in this case, sugar on the sweets) and why temperature matters – warm water energises molecules and speeds up dissolution. The pupils compared results across the four media and recorded their observations like real scientists.

Diffusion, density… and a rainbow on a plate

Next up, the classic “Skittles circle” demo: arrange sweets around a plate, add water, and watch the colours sweep toward the centre. It’s a memorable way to see diffusion in action. That led to questions with Coral and Safina about density – including why oil and water don’t mix – and a quick look at what happens when you add water to oil.

Wrapping up like real researchers

Each group signed their work, discussed what their results meant, and then removed PPE correctly – because science is as much about rigour and safety as it is about curiosity. After groups two and three, we regrouped in the lecture theatre for a short break and show-and-tell of findings.

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What the pupils learned (in their words)

• Hypothesis → experiment → results: how scientists test ideas

• Dissolution & temperature: why warm water “wins” for sugar coatings

• Diffusion: seeing colours move without stirring

• Density: why oil sits apart from water

• PPE & lab practice: doing science safely

 

A huge thank-you to the fantastic pupils and teachers from  Noble Primary School, and to our friends at Enterobiotix for making the morning extra special. We loved the questions – and the enthusiasm – and we can’t wait to host the next class.