Natural Science

I love science. I’ve worked with Brighton Science Festival a fair bit over the years, along with arranging various arty science celebrations as part of the Forest of Thoughts. This means I’m particularly excited that this week is British Science Week – a great chance to get curious, explore the world around you and learn something new. And nature offers lots of opportunities to flex your science muscles*.

Learn About Slime Mould

From the moment I first discovered slime mould through Brighton Science Festival, it’s fascinated me. Videos show it navigating mazes, plotting the optimum routes; and doing many more magical things besides. It’s a true wonder of the natural world – and shows the power of collaboration…

Become a Citizen Scientist

There are many citizen science projects with a  nature theme. From counting frogs to documenting flowers, no matter what part of the natural world most inspires you, you can find a project to suit.

Get Experimenting

From changing the colour of flowers to making herbal bath bombs with bicarb, there are experiments galore involving nature: just search online.

You don’t need expensive equipment. I have fond memories of watching frogspawn become tadpoles then tiny frogs, as a child (they became bigger frogs too, of course, but baby frogs particularly entranced me)

Of course, gardening combines science and nature too – and means you can grow your own food, as an added bonus. Try The Crop Club kits if you’re not sure where to start.

And then there are all the British Science Festival events, of course. Find out what’s going on near you on their website – and discover more about how you can get involved. Apparently, there are already almost 2,000 events registered on the British Science Week website, taking place up and down the UK, from Cornwall to the north coast of Scotland, so you should be able to find scientific stimulation somewhere near you.

*In the aim of good science, I should clarify people do not have science muscles – but you can build up your sense of wonder in the world around you.