Cardiff academics bring earthquake and volcanic simulations to local schoolchildren

We recently visited Howardian Primary School in Cardiff to bring hands-on learning to Year 3 pupils about the fascinating science behind earthquakes and volcanoes.

Cardiff academics recently visited Howardian Primary School to deliver a hands‑on learning session for Year 3 pupils focused on the science of earthquakes and volcanoes.  The outreach visit built on the pupils’ existing curriculum, using interactive activities to make geoscience hazards tangible, engaging and accessible for young learners.

Lecturers from Cardiff used a range of practical demonstrations and games to bring key concepts to life. Pupils explored foam models of the Earth to understand its internal structure and why earthquakes occur, and took part in role‑play activities—donning hard hats and high‑visibility vests—to learn about the work of geologists, engineers and architects in protecting communities from natural hazards. Interactive games included racing seismic waves using classroom‑length slinkies, as well as practising a simple earthquake safety drill by sheltering under desks.

Dr Marrero and Professor Alves led the core activities, while Dr Contreras guided pupils through immersive virtual reality experiences. Using VR headsets, children explored an earthquake evacuation simulation and watched a 360-degree VR video of a volcanic eruption, responding enthusiastically to the realistic visuals and scenarios.

The session also introduced pupils to volcanic materials, with hands‑on investigation of different volcanic rocks. A particular highlight was discovering that pumice can float on water. The visit concluded with an outdoor demonstration of a model volcanic eruption, created using fizzing drinks and hard sweets, which was met with cheers from the class.

Learning continued after the visit through a selection of loaned books purchased as part of the British Council–funded project Reducing gender disparity in STEM from Kindergarten to Professional life. This bolstered their learning as well as presenting girls as scientist, engineers, coders and mathematicians, as well as demonstrating mothers as engineers and scientists.

The activity formed part of the School’s wider outreach and engagement programme coordinated by Dr Gill. The earthquakes and volcanoes session was developed and led by Dr Marrero, with support from Professor Alves and Dr Contreras , who delivered the visit together.

Overall, the visit successfully combined high‑quality scientific content with interactive teaching approaches to spark curiosity and provide an engaging introduction to geoscience for primary‑age learners.

The team would like to thank Dr Marrero and Professor Alves for sharing their time and expertise, Dr Contreras Mojica and the British Council for supporting additional learning materials, and the staff and pupils at Howardian Primary School for enthusiastically embracing geoscience.