Calling all young scientists...

PA 205/09 How do children understand what other people are thinking? What is the best way to test young children's hearing? How do we learn to navigate around our environment? Children aged three to 11 are being invited to the annual Summer Scientist Week at The University of Nottingham between the August 3 and August 7 2009 to help search out the answers to these questions and many more — and have fun in the process. With the help of games like: 'Zap That Bug!'; 'Team Alien'; 'Food Snap' and 'Digicubes', researchers from the School of Psychology and the Learning Sciences Research Institute hope to shed new light on the development of crucial skills and gauge how children learn from the world around them. Dr Lucy Cragg, from the School of Psychology, said: "The Summer Scientist Week is getting bigger and better every year. It is great fun for all the families involved and is definitely the most enjoyable way to carry out our research. We're looking forward to an action-packed event this year, with more fun and games than ever." - The researchers are expecting around 200 children to take part in the week long event. They are interested in how people learn and how children develop new skills. They particularly want to know how people understand what others think and feel, how children learn in different environments, how toddlers develop language and learn to read, and how we learn to control our own thoughts and actions.