Slime Craze hits Exeter

Slimey Science education milestone reached by local community company

Just ahead of British Science Week, on March 9 – 18, Barnstaple-based community company, Sciencedipity, has excited over 1000 young children in chemistry by helping them make slime, with more Slime workshops scheduled and fully booked for Exeter and other towns in Devon.

Working in community settings in Devon, Sciencedipity’s aim is to encourage a love of science in children, via its fun outreach activities.

The slime-making craze, which started in America, has exploded in the past six months in Devon.

Sciencedipity’s Chief Scientist, Ruth MacLaren, has seen the number of children interested in making the colourful, gloopy, sticky stuff rise massively. So much so she now has a band of “slime assistants” to help her deliver the chemistry workshops across Devon.

Ruth, who also works as a Biomedical Scientist and a Lecturer, said: “Making science fun is so important as it helps engage young people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) subjects, areas which are well known to have a skills shortage. So, myself and the team are keen to do our bit to counteract that by making science fun"

During the slime workshops, children learn about chemical reactions, chemical names, safety in science, they use maths and problem-solving skills and work together to experiment on making the best chemical reaction to make the best slime.

Since Sciencedipity began educating children, aged from 3 to 16-years-old, almost four years ago, Ruth has passed on her passion for science to thousands of young people across Devon.

For British Science Week, Sciencedipity will be running a free Exploration and Discovery Science event in Barnstaple. You can find out more about Sciencedipity on their website at www.sciencedipity.co.uk