BAYER UK launched a new workshop for school children revolving around the cardiovascular system at their HQ in Reading, last week (November 15).
The pharmaceutical company, whose HQ is in Green Park, has created a new Baylab workshop called 'Heart Mechanics' for school children aged 7-13, designed to educate them on the cardiovascular system and heart health.
The free Baylab workshops started at the Reading HQ in 2017 and were created by Bayer to help spark an interest in science in young people and give them the opportunity to use equipment they might not have access to in school.
The 'Heart Mechanics' session is the latest to be introduced and students from St St Bernard's Preparatory School in Slough were the first to try it out in Bayer's state-of-the-art science laboratory.
The four-hour workshop saw students take part in various activities including making their own blood from sweets and performing the circulatory system by playing the role of red blood cells.
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Baylab manager, Emma Schierbaum, explained: “Today’s about getting them to understand how awesome they are, how their anatomy works and the complexities of the organ but it also has a really nice stand point from the fact we talk about preventative health care and what you should do to keep a healthy heart.”
The workshop has been created to support teachers to deliver the national curriculum for science and aims to enhance the learning experience in an innovative and fun way.
Dr Klaus Witte, Senior Lecturer and Consultant Cardiologist, University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The Heart Mechanics workshop at Baylab offers a novel approach to teaching schoolchildren about the heart and science in general.
“Cardiovascular disease continues to be a challenge for society and a major limitation to healthy ageing; therefore, it is crucial that younger generations are educated on the function of the heart and the cardiovascular system and how sensible lifestyle and dietary choices can contribute to overall long term health and wellbeing.”
The 'Heart Mechanics' workshop will be touring in June 2020 and will also be offered to schools across the country.
A national science competition will be run where schools can win science and sports equipment.
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