Teach17

A collection of hands-on demos, specimens and challenges to bring the biology department to life at the open morning. Pick a handful to run brilliantly rather than spreading thin across all of them.

1. Sheep eye or heart dissection – a real specimen opened up live at the table, scalpel and all. It’s the one thing visitors are still talking about on the walk home.
2. DNA extraction from strawberries – mashed, filtered and precipitated with alcohol until real strands of DNA appear in the tube, visible to the naked eye rather than stuck on a diagram.
3. Microscope corner – slides of cheek cells, pond water or insect wings ready to go, with visitors invited to focus the scope themselves and find something moving.
4. Reaction time ruler drop – a quick catch-the-ruler test with a score to beat, which opens the door to a thirty-second chat about reflexes and the nervous system.
5. Build a DNA model – coloured beads or sweets threaded onto pipe cleaners into a double helix visitors twist together and take home.
6. Heartbeat and pulse station – stethoscopes and pulse oximeters visitors try on themselves before and after a few star jumps, watching the numbers change live.
7. Bug and specimen table – preserved insects, skulls and bones visitors can pick up and try to identify, with a short answer sheet to work through.
8. Blood typing game – a simulated “mystery patient” sample visitors test themselves to work out the blood group, framed like a mini forensic case.
9. Plant pigment chromatography – leaf extract run up a paper strip to reveal the hidden colours inside a single green leaf, taken home once dry.
10. Yeast and fermentation demo – a balloon slowly inflating on top of a bottle as yeast respires, a visible, no-explanation-needed route into cellular respiration.
11. Owl pellet dissection – visitors pick apart a real owl pellet with tweezers and try to piece together the tiny skeleton hidden inside.
12. Optical illusion and senses wall – a handful of classic illusions and a spot-the-difference board that gets people arguing about what they’re actually seeing.
13. Biology trivia leaderboard – a live high score chart running all morning, giving people a reason to swing back past the stand and try to beat their score.
14. Student research and project showcase – posters or screens of the strongest student investigations, with the students themselves on hand to talk visitors through them.
15. Ecosystem in a jar – a sealed terrarium or bottle garden visitors build and take home, with a quick explanation of how the mini ecosystem sustains itself.
16. Careers wall with real pathways – actual alumni stories showing the route from GCSE or A-level biology into apprenticeships, degrees or jobs, ideally with a QR code linking to short video clips.
17. Build a cell station – model kits or craft materials laid out so visitors can build a simple animal or plant cell, paired with a quick name-that-organelle challenge.