Day 20: Raising potential future stars in STEM

As if two days in Wolverhampton wasn't enough. Let's throw in another one!

I had booked Team Kilmo tickets for the SciFest at Wolverhampton Uni weeks ago after spying a tweet. After a sneaky preview yesterday I knew it was going to be great day. Now what I didn't know, is how the Mini K's would fair today. How long would they last before they'd have enough? The weather has turned for the worst. Rain macs on. Let's do this!

We walk into the Rosalind Franklin Building and the atmosphere is buzzing already. There are people in so many random costumes. I'm cracking up at seeing Skeletor! Blooming SKELETOR! (•80's reference, sorry cool kids). Who knew this would be my Saturday morning at a science festival? It's all a bit overwhelming for the Mini K's. But Neve soon finds Mario to have a photo with. There's loads of retro games. Oh yeah Street Fighter! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Sonic! It wasn't long before we all grabbed a controller and got stuck in.

The courtyard has been refreshed from yesterday, new balloons and a balloon version of the solar system. There's also a chance to do circus tricks today. I just about get the diablo going and then I'm going nuts with a rhythmic ribbon. Neve joins in and immediate goes for the pedal-go. There's no holding back on interactive fun today. The courtyard is full of families, Scouts, Guides and Brownies groups. It's encouraging to see diversity here and so many people joining in with various activities. The enthusiasm is infectious.

The only sun found on a cloudy, rainy day.

This is no ordinary Science Fair; it really is a Science Festival - a celebration of fun, inclusion and diversity in STEM. What's really caught my eye is the Science Art exhibition and seeing "EDNA" - Eating Disorder Nurturing Aid. I love seeing creativity and science come together. (See the photo for more detail on the exhibit).

Within an hour of being here, we have only managed to visit only two stalls. Noel and Neve are so engrossed in the activities, the Mini K's have been asked to be papped by their enormous mega straw construction by @STEMConnections. Noel is so proud and happy that people will get see what they've made. Reluctantly they leave their finished mega build to move on to the next stall. Afraid someone will break it down.

Unfortunately many of the individual shows are 'SOLD OUT' on the e-booking scheme but because of the rain we've been told to attend the showings and if places become available we could sneak in. There's one show I don't want to miss. The Explorer Dome. We missed out on the penultimate showing, so we opted for the "Animal Man" show, which was presented by a badass woman. Noel (7), who's typically an introvert, puts his hand up to answer every question. He's obviously invested his undivided attention into this show. Now it's not everyday that "It's a Madagascan Tenrec" stuns an audience. Definitely a proud parent moment.

We manage to sneak into The Explorer Dome's last show before the SciFest draws to a close. I met Jim yesterday and he was such a nice guy. The Explorer Dome covers an element of science that I don't get to see in my everyday practice and for my continued professional development. I've taken the Mini K's to a planetarium before and they loved it. However I'm intrigued to see how the Explorer Dome does it's magic in a fancy black blow-up igloo thingy. Nor me or the Mini K's were disappointed by the show. We got to SciFest as soon as the doors opened and we have stayed until closing. I know we didn't get so see all the stalls and do all the activities but #SciFest was A-MAZING. I hope it was a success to the organisers and to those exhibiting too. We've had so much fun and all of us have learnt something new. The best thing about today is seeing two worldly curious little people explore and absorb so much information that they start to formulate their own informed opinions and recall insane science facts. I really don't mind if the world of STEM is not for them in the future. It's important for me that they at least appreciate it and acknowledge the efforts of people in STEM throughout history and those currently pioneering change for a better world. For now they are have embraced #STEM and love it.

#STEMkids #SciFest #STEMfest #diversityinall