Catalyst Science Discovery Centre

What an amazing trip we had today!

We travelled to the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre to take part in the 'Mystery at the Manor' workshop as part of our next science topic - 'Could you be the next CSI investigator?'

It was a great way to combine practical science with collaborative skills. Year 5 worked in small groups to collect evidence to enable them to solve ‘The Mystery’ using a variety of forensic techniques. The session was held in the Catalyst Crime Lab and areas covered by the clues were: scene of crime observation, using simple soil analysis, using a microscope to match fibres, testing unknown powders, separating colours using chromatography, lifting and matching fingerprints, constructing an electrical circuit to create a burglar alarm, matching footprints, blood testing and DNA matching. 

After the workshop, we completed a 'Science and Technology' trail workbook by exploring the centre. We learned lots about materials and molecules on our journey through the centre.