Audio Transcript

Published: February 26, 2018
APA 7 Citation: Newsome, B. (Host). (2018, February 26). Science parties are awesome [Audio podcast transcript]. Fizzics Education.
https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/podcast/fizzicsed/science-parties-are-awesome/

Ben Newsome CF is the recipient of the 2023 UTS Chancellor’s Award for Excellence and a Churchill Fellow. He is a global leader in science communication and the founder of Fizzics Education.

[00:00:00]
Marc Wileman: If you look at how fast the world’s changing, a lot of what we teach them specifically will be obsolete by the time they’re actually going to use it. But I think what remains are the principles of how to learn, how to think critically, how to respond to failure, how to accept failure, and how to work as a team. All of those things are the real learnings that will be immensely valuable for those children as they become young adults and even older adults somewhere down the line.

[00:00:32]
Ben Newsome: This is a sentiment that’s been shown time and time again by scientists and technologists right around Australia and beyond. It’s all about creative thinking and problem-solving, and our guest Marc Wileman certainly knows a lot about that. He’s teaching kids science in a really fun way. We’re talking science parties all over the UK.

[00:00:50]
Announcer: You’re listening to the Fizzics Ed Podcast. For hundreds of ideas, free experiments and more, go to fizzicseducation.com.au. And now, here’s your host, Ben Newsome.

[00:01:07]
Ben Newsome: Welcome again to another Fizzics Ed Podcast. Big week this week. In fact, it’s an interesting week for me because this is a friend of mine, Marc Wileman, who 10 years ago was working at Fizzics Education. Now he’s gone back to the UK and he’s set up this brilliant company called Sublime Science. This company has inspired more than one million children to discover how science really is going to be very awesome just by doing science parties every single day of the week. By the way, he does a lot of school programmes too. Marc Wileman is actually quite best known for winning the Dragons’ Den competition. It’s a bit like the Shark Tank that we have here in Australia. He is very much involved and passionate in getting kids to understand how science truly works. He’s been seriously recognised; Her Majesty the Queen has given him an award for innovation. He’s a TEDx speaker as well. So, without further ado, let’s listen in on to Marc Wileman about what he does at Sublime Science and why he cares so much.

[00:02:04]
Ben Newsome: Marc, welcome to the Fizzics Ed Podcast.

[00:02:07]
Marc Wileman: Hey Ben, great to chat with you.

[00:02:10]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely. I just did a bit of a time check here, it’s 10 to 11 at night. What time is it where you are?

[00:02:16]
Marc Wileman: I can’t do enough maths, but that’d be 10 to midday.

[00:02:23]
Ben Newsome: Righto. We’ve got a whole bunch of people that have been on this podcast before, and I really wanted to get you on because you’ve been heavily involved in the UK and surrounds, and really around the world, doing science stuff. There’ll be some people though who don’t know what you do. So Marc, tell us a bit about what you do.

[00:02:41]
Marc Wileman: I guess I’m probably best known as that guy that went onto Dragons’ Den here in the UK with my company Sublime Science. I fired some smoke rings at the Dragons, made some slime, and ended up getting some investment. But I guess the real story goes back a long way before that. At this point, Sublime Science has been going for just over nine years. We’ve been making science awesome for kids at our science parties, in primary schools, at museums. Mainly in England but in a few other countries around the world. Somewhere along the way, we’ve inspired a million kids to discover how awesome science can be.

[00:03:25]
Ben Newsome: That’s just why you need to be on this podcast because you’ve been doing so much cool stuff. By the way, there’ll be some people that don’t know what Dragons’ Den is. In Australia, the one that’s still rolling here is called Shark Tank. Basically, you’ve got to be in front of people who really know what they’re talking about business-wise. But I suppose in a lot of ways, you’re just a teacher trying to teach people stuff.

[00:03:48]
Marc Wileman: Yeah, a bit of a weird one. Shark Tank in the US as well, that show has made it round the whole planet. Just a random guy. I’m a scientist by background; I have a Master’s degree in physics. I’ve been obsessed with science since I was about eight years old. So just a random guy that found science fascinating from a very young age. As I became an adult and was trying to figure out what to do with my life, I figured that making science awesome for primary school kids would be a cool thing to do. I’ve been working on it pretty much every day for nine years at this point.

[00:04:30]
Ben Newsome: Fair enough. Obviously, we’ll talk more about what Sublime Science does. But I’m always curious as to what got you into science. You did your Master’s of Physics, but at some point in your life, you went, “Science is my thing,” rather than sport or whatever it is. What made you go, “This is it, I need to be involved in this type of gear”?

[00:04:53]
Marc Wileman: As a kid, I had that innate fascination with why stuff works. Just probably that annoying kid, to the detriment of my parents, who would always ask why about 37 times any time they tried to tell me anything. I had that hardwired as a lot of kids do. As a kid, you don’t necessarily know what science is. It’s almost like a course in how stuff works and why it works how it does.

[00:05:30]
Marc Wileman: As I got a bit older, I was lucky enough to have a few really good teachers that changed the way I thought about stuff. Obviously, that made a big impact on my life. Now I’m in a fortunate position where some of the ideas and things that I share can hopefully have that kind of impact on some more people’s lives. There’s a certain buzz you get from really changing the way and helping somebody to think about something slightly differently that you can’t really get anywhere else.

[00:06:07]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely. Just hearing that, right now on our Facebook site, we thought we’d love to give back as much as we can and create a little teacher pack. We’ve had this flood of awesome stories where parents are describing how their teachers are helping their kids in all sorts of areas. There are about 60-odd comments, and they’re heartfelt discussions about how teachers change lives. Can you remember an instance that still sticks out in your head, why they were that inspiring to you?

[00:07:07]
Marc Wileman: As you get older, the memories maybe get more blurry. I remember when I did an A-level in physics, it’s a weird combination of having a teacher actually believing in you, but also challenging you to think differently about things. The education really worked, so I got to improve my level of science and ability to think critically very rapidly.

[00:07:45]
Marc Wileman: There’s something addictive about that progress. If you make some fast progress in how you think about or understand something, it’s very addictive. Now, getting a little bit older, you get the opportunity to pay it back or pay it forward, whichever way you want to look at it.

[00:08:29]
Marc Wileman: We just got a Facebook message the other day. It was super cool. Nine years ago, I did a science party for a kid. This mum posts up a picture of me nine years ago, and I think her child then was eight, so he’s now about 17. He’s literally going to do a degree in science.

[00:09:10]
Marc Wileman: Obviously, I’m not in any way claiming that one science party was the whole reason he went to university, because I’m sure that dude’s done a ton of work to get really good results. But to see those little decision points of one teacher believing in you, or one teacher challenging you, and that can link on to someone going to university and getting a degree in science. That kind of impact is super cool.

[00:09:52]
Ben Newsome: I love it. I bet there’d be listeners walking the dog or driving the car going, “Yep, I know I’ve run into someone down the shops going, ‘I remember you back in whatever time it was.'” It’s exactly what you do, your impact on your learners. There’s a saying that a teacher’s effect on the universe is almost infinite; you just don’t know how long that effect can actually be. That 17-year-old child will be highly engaged in their world, which means they’re not going to be highly engaged in their kids, and so on and so forth. A million kids, that ain’t a small number.

[00:10:46]
Marc Wileman: No, it’s one of those pretty silly ones. Given the ridiculousness of how we started off, we’ve been going for about nine and a bit years, but we started off literally with a loan from the Prince’s Trust, which is a charity in England. It was 1,750 pounds for that loan. That’s what the business was started from.

[00:11:16]
Ben Newsome: What’d you use that on?

[00:11:18]
Marc Wileman: Literally buying stuff. I was only 22 years old, just done my Master’s. I didn’t even at that time have a car, a phone, a laptop, anywhere to stay. I moved in with my parents, and literally that was just spent on some equipment. The company only really got started because we got deposits from people that booked us that enabled us to buy all the equipment we needed to do the stuff. It’s kind of that comedy level of, I guess it can all look pretty fancy nine years later, but at the time it was just me and a few boxes of stuff just doing fun science experiments and educating people and teaching people new ways to think about stuff and new ways to think about science.

[00:12:12]
Ben Newsome: Roll that forward, you’re able to pay that forward a long way. I love the fact that one of the things that you’ve been involved with is in East Africa, doing some stuff in playgrounds. I’d love to know a bit more about that. Tell us a bit more.

[00:12:26]
Marc Wileman: I tried to pay it back or pay it forward. One way is, so the Prince’s Trust was the charity that lent us that money, and I actually do speak for them and help out some young people. They generally help people that are 18 to 25, young people just wanting to get started with projects, whether it’s music education or whatever. I try and help anyone that’s passionate about doing anything really.

[00:13:00]
Marc Wileman: Over in East Africa, I’m on the Board of Trustees of a charity called East African Playgrounds, who build playgrounds all around East Africa. I’ve published a bunch of content which is a bunch of science experiments that you can do without electricity, without any fancy equipment at all. I’m talking eggs and toilet rolls, anything you can get your hands on really.

[00:13:31]
Marc Wileman: We’ve just been giving away books and online learning platforms to people around East Africa for a while now. I know for a fact, because they’ve emailed in and sent us really cool photos, that they’ve been used on the mountainsides of Africa. They’ve been used in like a refugee camp, which I just think is a really cool thing to play that tiny part. Just to know that a couple of kids in that refugee camp have done some science experiments because of some stuff you put out there is a super cool thing.

[00:14:03]
Ben Newsome: That’s what I love about the thread of what you’re doing. A lot of what your work is, people could just see it as science parties, but it goes way deeper than that. It’s really engaging kids in science in a platform that they love. They love to do it, they want to do experiments, they don’t want to do tests, they just want to play with stuff. At the same point, I know that you’ve had to do some quite formal presentations, one of which was TEDx. What was that like being involved in that?

[00:14:33]
Marc Wileman: Pretty scary, to be honest. It’s a weird thing; I think a lot of people that go on stage and do stuff like that are actually closet introverts. I’m one of those people. Having been on TV in front of millions or been on a stage in front of thousands of people, I was a super shy kid who was too scared to talk to anyone. I remember I cried at primary school when I had to do a talk to 20 kids when I was a kid. Going from that to walking out on stage in front of a thousand people is kind of a bit of a trip.

[00:15:19]
Marc Wileman: I guess the thing that makes me do it isn’t some kind of love for stress and pain; it’s more like if someone’s put together a platform and a place to share some ideas that could really help somebody out, I think it’s almost like a sense of duty to give that a shot. It’d be selfish of me to say I’m a little bit nervous to walk out in front of a thousand people in a formal business setting and just not bother. I think that’s putting myself above the cause. If I’m choosing 15 minutes of a little bit of discomfort and nerves, but on the upside, maybe that goes online, maybe that gets seen by 50,000 or 100,000 people, and maybe it makes a real impact in someone’s life.

[00:16:30]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely. If you watch a lot of the TED recordings, it doesn’t have to be always spectacularly groundbreaking; it just needs to be a little bit innovative and a little bit of fun. I remember watching one where there was this bloke in India who was just showing you on stage how to teach science using trash.

[00:17:00]
Ben Newsome: Basically, bits and pieces he’d found around, making sure it’s sanitary, but using stuff that you could scavenge around the place and getting kids into the maker movement using simple stuff. That’s what the TED stuff is all about. If there are listeners who have not heard of TED, type in TED Talk and see what’s out there. It blows your mind about what is going on in the world.

[00:17:33]
Ben Newsome: Just out of interest, obviously you’ve got a lot of stuff coming up with how Sublime Science is growing, but the core thread is science experiments. I’m just going to have to ask, what is your favourite experiment to actually do in front of kids?

[00:17:50]
Marc Wileman: That is putting me on the spot slightly. I guess I consider myself almost like a larger child at this point in my life. I think it’s pretty similar to how kids think about it. I really like any form of slime, anything that bubbles, anything that explodes. Stuff like that, which I think maybe I’m just hardwired to think those things are pretty cool.

[00:18:23]
Ben Newsome: Fair enough. Have you ever had a time where you’re running this—and I’ve asked this of a number of guests, but I’m always curious that a lot of our best learnings are from failure. Failing is actually useful. Adam Selinger talked about how he deliberately sets his lessons up to fail and gets the kids to work out where the fail point was. At the same point, sometimes you might have a lesson where you weren’t expecting to fail. When have you had a situation where the experiment just gone completely pear-shaped?

[00:18:56]
Marc Wileman: I agree 100%. I think in the UK, we don’t always do the greatest of jobs; I think sometimes we take failure to heart a lot more here than perhaps some of the more American attitude to fail. My TED Talk was actually called “Testing Beats Talent” and was really all about how I try and do this myself, but obviously bring that to the kids as well. You’ve not really got success and failure; you’ve just got tests. In life, tests just have outcomes. Sometimes it’s the positive outcome that you want, and sometimes it’s a negative outcome that obviously can be quite devastating.

[00:19:43]
Marc Wileman: You can put so much stock in that outcome, and in reality, it’s like, you did a test, it has an outcome, you’ve got to accept that for what it is, learn the lesson from it, move on, and test again. You can’t get so hung up on “it didn’t come out how I wanted it to,” which unfortunately for all of us, most of the time you try stuff out and it doesn’t go exactly how you had it in your own mind. But if there’s some good learning there, you can get so much more out of something that doesn’t go quite to plan than you can it going perfectly.

[00:20:26]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely. Basically, the scientific method works funnily enough.

[00:20:32]
Marc Wileman: The scientific method has achieved some pretty cool outcomes, we must try it sometime! There’s a lot of evidence to support the fact that it works pretty effectively.

[00:20:49]
Ben Newsome: True. But let’s admit though, we are often emotional creatures, and keeping those under wraps is also part of the challenge, and hey, that’s part of growing up too. Looking back on me in the mirror, perhaps I’ve got a bit more growing up to do, but anyway. Obviously, you’re doing a phenomenal job in the UK. Where can you see Sublime Science growing to and doing as you move along?

[00:21:23]
Marc Wileman: The catch-all thing is just making science awesome for the kids. Science parties are a really big part of what we do. We also work with primary schools doing science shows and workshops and stuff like that. We work with a bunch of different museums and organisations around the UK. There are a couple of books, a bunch of online content, and an online learning platform.

[00:22:11]
Marc Wileman: We’ve just taken our first few trips internationally, so we’ve gone to Malaysia and Dubai and Spain to try and make science awesome for some kids in some other countries as well. I think the way we do it is different, and the way we structure the programmes is different, but the fundamental idea is almost always the same. With kids, you have to make it a really fun, engaging experience. If you can do that and at the same time teach them the most important skill—I might run the risk of going on a bit of a rant about this one—but I honestly believe as any educator, the most important thing to teach is always how to think critically. Problem-solving and critical thinking, and things like the scientific method, they’re like principles, not tactics and strategies and short-term things.

[00:23:00]
Marc Wileman: If you teach somebody a very specific thing, like how to code in this specific language, that’s cool and can be a great way to teach skills. But the fundamental thing we all need to be teaching kids, particularly at primary level, is how to problem-solve and how to think critically. If we’re helping an eight-year-old today, statistically, they might not start working maybe when they’re 22. They might go to uni, they might do a degree, they might do a Master’s. They might not start their career for another 14 years.

[00:23:38]
Marc Wileman: And if you look at how fast the world’s changing, a lot of what we teach them specifically will be obsolete by the time they’re actually going to use it. But I think what remains are the principles of how to learn, how to think critically, how to respond to failure, how to accept failure, and how to work as a team. All of those things are the real learnings that will be immensely valuable for those children as they become young adults and even older adults somewhere down the line.

[00:24:14]
Ben Newsome: What I was just thinking whilst listening to that is almost a reflection onto the way we’ve been operating. Just like yourselves, we run quite a lot of science parties as well, and we’ve had the occasional question come up saying, “Look, it’s really just a bunch of gimmicks and fatty experiments, isn’t it?” Without realising that we’re actually sending out qualified teachers. Have you ever had that situation where people just don’t quite get that the basis of what you’re doing is just the same as what you do in a classroom?

[00:24:45]
Marc Wileman: Yeah, I think that can be the case. I think fundamentally, the way we’re all learning is changing, and I think that’s probably a good thing. Obviously, the people that are on here are listening to a podcast, and when I was growing up, there wasn’t the internet and there weren’t podcasts. Things that I’ve learned in more recent years have been a lot through podcasts and learning in different ways as an adult, and I think learning in different ways for the kids too.

[00:25:25]
Marc Wileman: If you can create a party, there are limitations. With a science party, you can’t make it too heavy-duty education because you’ve got to have a big focus on fun. The kids need to have a really fun time at a kids’ party, they just have to. But I know for a fact, you can make it really, really fun, you can make it engaging, the kids can have an awesome time, but they can also leave saying that they want to be scientists. So with that perspective, shifting towards thinking of science in a better way, and having a more positive opinion on science.

[00:26:02]
Marc Wileman: On top of that, they can also leave with a real understanding of how to think. The critical, scientific method of prediction, experiment, conclusion, then run that into the next experiment. What can we learn from it? Sometimes if you are a highly technical educator with a Master’s or PhD, you can get so into the specific technical learnings. All of that awesome stuff. But on some level, science is as simple as keeping it to the basics of just trying to think critically, trying to experiment, trying to see what we can learn from it, and enjoying that process. You can definitely 100% do that at a party, and I think the long-term effect of doing that can be really quite substantial.

[00:26:50]
Ben Newsome: One of my high school teachers once said to me, “Science is simply structured play.”

[00:26:56]
Marc Wileman: I like that, that’s very cool.

[00:27:00]
Ben Newsome: And it’s really quite profound because when you talk with some of the greatest minds around, and I’ve been lucky enough in my position to speak with some of these people, they’re highly creative, and they’re just putting points together that some people just don’t see. The reality is they’re just playing in an intellectual fashion. A science party just happens to be another forum for investigation. Let’s have a bit of fun with it at the same time.

[00:27:34]
Marc Wileman: It also does a really good job of breaking down that barrier of “science is just people doing science in a lab.” Which obviously there is plenty of that, people at universities and in private labs doing science experiments and researching things, and that’s all amazing. But that’s a very small percentage of the amount of people that are going to be wanting to apply critical thinking and the scientific method to whatever they want to do. I think a lot of science is just the ability to solve problems. Unfortunately, we’ve all got problems in life and in careers and businesses. There’s always going to be problems and challenges. Science, to me, is really about equipping people with the tools and strategies and methodologies so they can more effectively solve problems and ultimately have a better life, if that makes sense.

[00:28:32]
Ben Newsome: Absolutely makes sense. With that in mind, I know there will be some people wondering, “How on Earth do you get to do this type of stuff?” So I’m wondering, if you ever had to give some advice—whether they’re undergraduates in science communication, or science teachers or primary teachers about to get going, or even a party presenter—what would be some advice that you’d give these people before they went on their merry way?

[00:29:07]
Marc Wileman: That is a good one. Advice is always a tricky one. I think the main thing, and this might run the risk of sounding not that dramatic, but just to put one foot in front of the other, as simple as it sounds. Sometimes we see an athlete or an entrepreneur or an educator that really inspires you and you think, “Wow, that’s incredible how good they are at that.”

[00:29:40]
Marc Wileman: That can be super inspiring, but it can also be a little bit overwhelming, almost like, “There’s no way I’m going to get from where I am now all the way to there.” Obviously, that might be true or it might not, but I think just to keep in mind that everyone gets everywhere by baby steps.

[00:30:05]
Marc Wileman: Just putting one foot in front of the other, looking at the situation you’re in, trying to make the best assessment based on the resources you have, and just asking, “What’s the best thing to do now?” Doing that, and then repeating that process. Maybe not putting as much stock into the future and where you’re going to end up as a lot of people tend to do.

[00:30:33]
Ben Newsome: So I believe that might be about “Testing Beats Talent,” Marc, perhaps?

[00:30:37]
Marc Wileman: Yeah, we’ll plug that!

[00:30:40]
Ben Newsome: Yeah, why not. Obviously, we’ll put links in the show notes about that TED Talk as well. Slowly, slowly, surely, surely you will get there. Don’t be in a hurry, just take your time and think as you go along. It makes a lot of sense. Hey look, there are going to be some people who want to get in touch with you, no doubt. So Marc, how do they do that?

[00:31:02]
Marc Wileman: Probably the easiest way is just through our website, so sublimescience.com is the easiest one. We’re Sublime Science on everything: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Obviously, a bunch of listeners are educators and things like that, so if they want, they can happily download my first book for free as a PDF, which is called “Don’t Eat Your Slime.” It’s just a bunch of fun experiments you can do with stuff you’ve already got. That’s free as well. If you just Google “Don’t Eat Your Slime” or “Sublime Science Don’t Eat Your Slime,” that’ll pop right up, and hopefully we can help out.

[00:31:46]
Ben Newsome: Yes, I think “Don’t Eat Your Slime” are probably great words to live by as we close this podcast out. Very true, unless your slime is made out of edible stuff, but as a rule, don’t eat your slime.

[00:32:00]
Marc Wileman: Even if it’s edible, it’s very unlikely to taste particularly good.

[00:32:05]
Ben Newsome: Yeah, just eat the food that you’re meant to eat and then everyone’s happy. Thanks very much, Marc, for popping on. I know you’ve got a lot of stuff going on and much appreciated. We might catch you another time.

[00:32:17]
Announcer: This is the Fizzics Ed Podcast. We’re all about science, ed tech and more. To see 100 fun free experiments you can do with your class, go to fizzicseducation.com.au. That’s physics spelled F I Z Z I C S and click 100 free experiments.

[00:32:36]
Ben Newsome: Well there you go, that was Marc Wileman from Sublime Science. Tell you what, they are doing a fantastic job right through the UK and beyond. They’re reaching 37 countries with their e-learning platform, and they are very much about getting kids into critical thinking. You can really hear it. I love the idea of him saying, “Here’s a step-by-step approach to really solving your life’s challenges.”

[00:33:00]
Ben Newsome: Just a series of questions. Did it work? Did it not work? Why not apply some scientific method to your own life and to your own goals? That’s a really good thing to be threading in, and the fact that putting that into a science party, that is just unreal too. Speaking of critical thinking, the team at Fizzics Education have come up with a new podcast. It’s called Fizzics Twist, and it’s all about what’s been happening in science and technology right around the world, what’s been recent, and what’s been really floating our boat. Check it out.

[00:33:23]
Announcer: Hi guys. Looking for more science with an Australian twist? Well, you’re in luck, because here at Fizzics, we’re launching a fresh take on science with the upcoming podcast, Fizzics Twist. Get up to speed on the latest science and tech news where we look at what these discoveries might mean for all of us. Powered by the Fizzics Education team, Fizzics Twist highlights the most interesting, and sometimes the funniest side of what’s happening in our world. We’re kicking off in a few weeks, so stay tuned. See you then.

[00:33:49]
Ben Newsome: Yes, the Fizzics Twist podcast is going to be a lot of fun. I know Duncan, Danny, and Holly have been having a blast putting it together. It’s really about making science accessible. Speaking of making things accessible, next week’s episode is very much about that. We’re speaking with Shan Keys who set up Science Ability, which is all about people with disabilities engaging with the community doing science experiments. There’s a whole lot of fun, and Shan is a very, very passionate and inspired speaker, I can tell you that. But until then, I hope you’re making your science lessons awesome, fun, and accessible, and incorporating a bit of critical thinking just like Marc Wileman was saying. You’ve been listening to me, Ben Newsome from Fizzics Education, and this is the Fizzics Ed Podcast. I’ll catch you next week.

[00:34:28]
Announcer: You’ve been listening to another Fizzics Ed Podcast. We’re excited about science. Subscribe to us on iTunes to download the next episode as soon as it’s released. And don’t forget, for hundreds of ideas, free experiments, our new Be Amazing book and more, go to fizzicseducation.com.au. That’s physics spelled F I Z Z I C S.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Sublime Science begin as a business?
Marc Wileman founded the organisation with a small loan of £1,750 from the Prince’s Trust at age 22. Initially, he had very few resources, even moving back in with his parents and using deposits from early bookings to purchase the necessary equipment. Since those humble beginnings, the programme has grown to inspire over one million children through science parties and educational workshops.

What is the philosophy behind the “Testing Beats Talent” concept?
Derived from Marc’s TEDx talk, this philosophy suggests that we should reframe our view of success and failure. In science, every experiment is simply a “test” with an “outcome.” By removing the emotional weight of failure and viewing it as a necessary data point, students can learn to adapt, think critically, and persist until they achieve the desired result.

How can science be taught effectively in regions with limited resources?
Marc emphasises that science does not require expensive laboratory equipment or electricity. Through his work with East African Playgrounds and refugee camps, he demonstrates that scavenged materials—such as eggs, toilet rolls, and cardboard—are sufficient to teach fundamental principles. The focus remains on the process of inquiry rather than the sophistication of the tools.

Why are science parties a valuable part of the educational landscape?
While some may view parties as purely entertainment, Marc argues they are a form of “structured play.” They break down the barrier that suggests science only happens in a lab. By engaging children in a high-energy, fun environment, educators can introduce the scientific method—prediction, experiment, and conclusion—without the pressure of formal testing.

What does Marc consider the most important skill for a student to learn?
Marc believes that specific facts often become obsolete as technology and the world change rapidly. Therefore, the most vital skill is critical thinking. Teaching children how to solve problems, work as a team, and process information logically provides them with a “future-proof” foundation that remains relevant regardless of their eventual career path.

Extra thought ideas to consider

Re-evaluating the “Fail” in the Classroom
Consider how the traditional education system often penalises failure, whereas the scientific method relies on it. How might we restructure our science lessons to celebrate “failed” experiments as successful “tests” that provide valuable data? Moving away from a pass/fail mentality toward an “outcome-based” analysis could significantly reduce student anxiety and foster a more resilient generation of learners.

Science as Structured Play
If science is defined as “structured play,” how much play is actually occurring in your current curriculum? Reflect on the balance between rigorous academic theory and the freedom for students to tinker with materials. Integrating more scavenger-style activities using everyday objects might engage those students who feel alienated by formal laboratory settings.

The Longevity of Teacher Impact
Marc’s story of a student pursuing a science degree nearly a decade after a single science party highlights the “infinite” effect a teacher can have. Discuss the ways in which science communicators can create memorable decision points in a child’s life. It is often the emotional connection to a fun experiment, rather than the facts themselves, that leads a student toward a lifelong passion for STEM.