What can you do in 8.3minutes ... are you feeling curious?

What can you do in 8.3 minutes? Walk to school? Gobble down your supper? Get dressed into your uniform?  Read a chapter of a book? Or if you were a snail on an adventure you might even move 50 cm!

The British Science Week 2026 theme is ‘Curiosity … what’s your question’.  YCW challenges aim to encourage curiosity every week … how can we look at things differently … what do we take for granted … what would it be like if we made some small changes …?

Are you curious how long it might take for the sun’s light to reach Earth? 8.3 minutes! Our ‘giant ball of hydrogen’ is so far away … and yet it is keeping our planet warm - not too hot, and not too cold, and providing light for us to see, and for plants to photosynthesize – perfect for life on Planet Earth.  

Are you curious … what would the world be like without any electric lighting?  Would you go to bed when the sun sets; would you be able to get dressed in the morning – in the dark - before the sun has risen; would you read or do your homework by candlelight? Lights are fundamental to our way of living today but the electricity they use, normally from burning fossil fuels, is causing our climate to change, upsetting the perfect balance of life on earth.

Your challenge this week is to become the family ‘light zapper’ and make sure ALL lights are switched off when they’re not needed! Do you even need to switch on the lights in the morning before school – it depends on what time you get up but try opening your curtains straight away, and you might be surprised by how bright the sunlight is! Which lights get left on unnecessarily - the bathroom light or the living room light?

Our ‘giant ball of hydrogen’ is also playing an amazing role in helping us to combat climate change – what ideas have you heard of?  Some of that solar energy that reaches Earth, after travelling for 8.3 minutes, can be harnessed – here are a few examples of amazing projects: 14-year-old Vinisha Umashankar has invented a ‘solar-powered ironing cart’; a street in North London is creating a ‘local power station’ with the roofs of their houses; the SolarAid project is helping ‘light up villages’, and Thailand is home to one of the world’s largest floating solar farms.

When you’ve enjoyed thinking about the potential for solar projects, and embraced the role of family light zapper email Kate hello@youngclimatewarriors.org – to let us know.