Scientist in residence

A seven-year-old Wesley student and his three-year-old brother have become scientists in residence – and a YouTube phenomenon – demonstrating inquiry learning at its best, in their own kitchen.

For seven-year-old Oliver Hamm, a Year 2 student at Wesley’s Elsternwick Campus, and his brother, three-year-old Lucas Hamm, the term break, and continuing measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, have been no obstacle to learning. Assisted by special guest star Mr Snickers, their pet cavoodle, the pair have created their own YouTube channel and they’re exploring some of the big questions in science: what are polymers, aka can we get our hands on some slime; what is permeability, aka can we make a bouncy egg; and what happens when an alkaline like baking soda reacts with an acid like vinegar, aka what makes things fizz?

As Mum Genwa Rafeh told the HeraldSun’s Kimberley Seedy, the kitchen and local environment offer plenty of opportunities for learning.

‘We started doing fun things like science experiments, making slime, going on walks and I thought, “Why don’t we document it?”

‘We started filming with my iPhone and I edited all the videos and uploaded them.

‘The boys love it, and they love the fact Mum lets them make a mess in the kitchen.’

If you want to find out more about polymers and viscosity, permeability and osmosis, chemical reactions that release carbon dioxide or the chemical essence of cuteness (answer: Mr Snickers), join Oliver and Lucas in their continuing adventures in lockdown on their Oliver and Lucas YouTube channel.

And after Lucas’s fulcrum-and-lever experiments on the beach with Mr Snickers’ ball thrower, the pair might add an episode to explore the relationships between mass, force and acceleration.