Istra

From the 4th to the 8th of June our class had ventured into the great outdoors to a field trip in Istra, the main objective of which was completing the Group 4 coursework. The place we went to was a small hotel "Visotka" situated in the middle of a forest next to a reservoir. For most of the day we worked on the coursework from our Physics, Chemistry, Biology or ESS courses, however after dinner we participated in activities planned by the teachers to increase our awareness of strengths and weaknesses. An example of one of these activities was boat building, which involved a group of people attempting to construct a boat propelled using baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) and Citric Acid (C6H8O7). Our construction looked like the USS Enterprise from Star Trek, I am not a fan of Star Trek and had no intention of doing so, but for some reason this is exactly what we constructed. The construction worked and the pressure inside the main tank was sufficient to give a push to the boat, however the gas came out before we had a chance to get the boat running, but we got disqualified because we gave the boat a push. On the last day we held a barbecue and played hide and seek using flashlights in the dark when it was pouring rain, it was pretty amazing if you ask me. I managed to finish all the experiments, as well as complete a few CAS objectives: I undertook new challenges, planned and initiated activities, worked collaboratively with others and developed new skills.