Children solved a series of hands-on scientific challenges at a St Albans junior school learning day.

Pupils at Bernards Heath Junior School took part in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) Challenge Day on November 16.

Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, and Topaz houses split into cross-year group teams to crack puzzles which included designing and building balloon powered cars, making kaleidoscopes, launching air powered rockets, making slime and building dens.

Year 5 teacher Trish Hall, who has organised the Challenge Day each year for nearly a decade, said: “It was really successful, the children were so excited for the whole day.

“Their favourite was making slime - seeing the chemical reaction of adding glue to eye drops and other chemicals turning to putty in their hands. Their faces were wonderful.

“They all took a package home with them.”

Teams were made up of Year 3 to 5 pupils, with Year 6 children leading the challenges.

Trish chose STEM for this year’s Challenge Day: “Science is important for children to learn and have fun without worrying about the writing up of experiments.

“It’s hands-on and creative, seeing things happen before their eyes and understanding they can create something new.

“This is a great day for the children and a brilliant way to make them interested and excited about the sciences and the world around them.

“I am fortunate to work in a brilliant school where all the teachers work really hard to make learning hands-on, inclusive and interesting, designed to capture the interest of all the children.”

She happily added that the rockets “were rather fun”.

In addition to the November 16 fun day, children at the school had a lesson about the sun, moon and stars in a pop-up planetarium.

Bernards Heath Junior School is on Watson Avenue in St Albans.

It says the school “value each child and nurture and celebrate individual talents, whether these are academic, artistic, musical or athletic” and “offer a wide range of opportunities for personal development and aim for high standards”.