Sarah Bearchell is a science presenter and writer working with children and families. She aims to engage her audiences through careful tailoring of activities. She works in mainstream primaries and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools, with visits to science festivals becoming more frequent. Many of the schools she visits and many of the children she meets, she has never seen before. Although now more schools are inviting her back, most days are like the first day of school for her: new surroundings, new children and new staff. In this article, she shares her experience of working with children she has never met before and will only meet for 20 minutes of their lives.