To engage the children, the lights were dimmed and eerie music was played to create a magical atmosphere as they welcomed the Chief Alchemist’s apprentice into their classroom. Under his arm, he carried a golden box containing a map, a key for the map, a riddle and a range of scientific samples from a magical place called Alchemy Island. The Chief Alchemist’s apprentice then read the riddle and gave the children their first task. Can they work out where their journey begins?

After their visit from the Chief Alchemist’s apprentice, the children went to look for potential portals that they could use to reach Alchemy Island. They went outside to investigate and took photographs with an iPad, which they then added special effects with painting or photo editing software. They were encouraged to use tone, colour, shadow and shading tools to create a tantalising glimpse of the magic and mystery that lurks beyond the portal.

We used the map to point out where on Alchemy Island the samples (sent by the Island’s Chief Alchemist) may have come from and they examined them to help them to become familiar with the island’s terrain. Following this, we used our scientific investigation skills to work out the properties of each sample and grouped them by characteristics, such as state, transparency, hardness, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and magnetism.