Scarlett’s Lab Tour at Sheffield Children’s Hospital

She arrived excited and ready to take on her title as a Junior Scientist for the day.

Scarlett regularly sees the rheumatology team for blood tests, so this lab tour gave her the chance to see what happens after her blood samples leave the clinic.

A day in the lab

The tour started with a look at how analysers count blood cells, and Scarlett watched her sample whizz through the machine. Seeing the process as it was happening led to plenty of questions, and Scarlett was interested in how each step fits together.

Considering it was her first ever visit to a laboratory, Scarlett took to the microscopes quickly and confidently. Playing a game of guess the cell, she identified red cells and platelets, spotting a sneaky neutrophil or two before recreating them using play dough. This hands on activity turned learning about blood cells into something accessible and fun.

In the coagulation section, Scarlett took a look at the science behind blood clots. Making her own ‘slime clot’ filled with colourful beads, she learned how clots form and what happens when the process doesn’t work as it should. 

Scarlett really embraced her Junior Scientist title in Blood Bank, where she inspected bags of donated red cells and platelets and matched blood groups to their compatible recipients. 

Learning that lasts 

Harvey’s Lab Tours give children and their families a chance to better understand the biomedical science that supports their care, and Scarlett’s visit was a great example of this. By meeting the laboratory staff and seeing the work they do, the lab became a place to explore rather than something to feel unsure about.

Scarlett’s mum shared her feedback after the visit:

We loved the lab tour and Scarlett is very interested in how and why things are done. She took her things into school and shared her experience with the whole school in assembly.

We would like to thank the Haematology and Transfusion teams at Sheffield Children’s Hospital for welcoming Scarlett and her family and for supporting such a positive lab tour experience.