This is just a selection, the activities and opportunities are endless!
KS1 and KS2 Curriculum Linked Activities
Animals including Humans
All about the Lungs & Heart
In this activity children will get to learn about how their lungs work by making pumping models and observe how the diaphragm muscle works. Measure their heart rate and take their arterial blood pressure using a Sphygmomanometer.
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Evolution & inheritance
Squish Science ‘DNA’ Extraction
Have you ever wondered how scientists get a sample of DNA from a plant, animal, or other organism? All living organisms have DNA. DNA, which is short for deoxyribonucleic acid, is the blueprint for almost everything that happens inside the cells of an organism. DNA tells the organism how to develop and function. DNA is so important that it can be found in nearly every cell of a living organism.
In this activity children get to build and model the DNA helix, make eye colour gene bracelets as well as using fruits to illustrate the principle of isolating and extracting DNA from fruits such as strawberry, banana and kiwi. What other fruit or vegetable can you use?
Children learn that DNA is the hereditary material in cells.
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Engineering, Construction, Robotics and Electricity
Bristlebots Critters/ Robots / Vibobots
In this activity children get to make buzzing critters from a toothbrush head and a vibrating motor. Children get to problem solve to think about what adaptations they could make to their little critter to suit a particular environment. Children get to take keep and take home their robots.
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Paper circuits
In this activity children will be using copper tape and LEDs, to make a complete circuit which will light up their own picture.
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Fling your Catapult!
In this activity children will be constructing and building their own catapult. They will learn about gravitational potential energy and get to experiment with their catapults!
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Fantastic Flights!
In this activity children get to learn about the four forces (gravity, lift, thrust and drag) that work together and have an affect on flight. They then get hands on making a variety of flyers and testing them out.
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What’s the Time Mr Wolf?
In this activity children will be working collaboratively to choose appropriate materials to help them design and make a working clock. They will also get to check their knowledge of telling the time. What clever clocks!
States of matter
‘Gas!’
In this activity children will be investigating chemical reaction and exploring the properties of carbon dioxide using yeast.
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‘Sublime Slime’
In this activity children have fun getting messy and exploring changes of state is it a liquid or a solid?
(Alter the proportions of the key ingredients to make either a firmer of runnier slime)
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Chemical changes
In this activity children get very messy having fun making slime or all different consistency, slimy slime, foamy slime, squiggy slime.
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‘Carbon Dioxide’
In this activity children will explore the properties of carbon dioxide. Perform the magic candle trick and create rockets using sodium bicarbonate.
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‘Bath Bombs’
In this activity children will get to play the role of chemist by carefully mixing ingredients of the correct quantities to create bath bomb and learning about the bubbles created.
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Rock Samples (Rock, Rock and Roll)
Children get to use their observation and descriptive skills to compare, describe and identify a variety of rock samples based on their appearance and physical properties. They will also investigate the properties of these sample through a variety of experimental procedures. They will carry out experiments using acetic acid (vinegar) to look at some of their properties.
Centre of Gravity
In this activity children will be learning about how objects have a centre of gravity, which allows them to balance. They get to carry out an activity using balloons and cans
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Vortex Your Way Round
In this activity children will be learning what centrifugal and centripetal Forces are and how these forces affect the movement and directional change of an object.
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Tornado in a bottle
In this activity children will be learning about what tornados are, how they are created, the science behind them and then they get to replicate their own tornados and watch them whizz around.
AMAZING THEMES AND TOPICS
Electricity and Circuits
Making Connections
In this activity children will be learning about electricity and making their own circuits by using bulbs, batteries, connector and buzzers. Learning all about closed and open circuits
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Light Fantastic 2
Children get to learn about how a switch works, talking about circuits, positive and negative charges. They will experiment making their own flashlight to take home.
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Plasma Ball!
In this activity children will get to observe electrical conduction by lighting up bulbs through fascinating experiments.
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Electrifying Electricity
In this activity children experience the wow factor! and they will get to have a great deal of fun investigating and observing static electricity at work. The BIG machine comes out and they will observe some pretty cool demonstrations. Children will get an opportunity to us our Van der Graff generator making their hairs stick on end.
Light
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Light Colour
Children will learn about how colour was discovered and the scientists who discovered them. Children will experiment with Newton’s colour wheel
(which they get to take home). Children will try on rainbow diffraction glasses to see how it separates white light into its component colours.
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Prism Break & Light Exploration through a Prism
Children will learn about how white light is a combination of colours and through experimenting with triangular prisms they will discover light is refracted (bends) as it passes through the prism separating the white light and showing the colours in the visible spectrum (rainbow colours).
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Light Fantastic 1
Children learn about why we need light in order to see, understand how light from the sun can be dangerous as well as beneficial and learning about UV light and wavelengths. They will undertake a variety of experiments including using sun print paper to make their own unique card which they get to take home.
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What’s your Property
In this activity, children will use their five senses to describe the physical properties of a variety of items. As great scientists their observation and attention to detail skills will be super important. They will be identifying the physical properties and naming the materials. Alongside this, children will perform some simple experiments to test these physical properties.
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What is Your Prediction
In this activity children will be using their observational skills as well as their five senses to assist them in making predictions and using the process of fair testing to identify a range of different liquids and powders. They will then get to perform some basic experiments to find out some of the properties.
Magnets and Forces
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Opposites Attract
Children get to learn about magnetism and forces. How magnets attract or repel each other and recognise magnets as having two poles. Classify materials as magnetic and non-magnetic. They get to have fun making amazing patterns using iron filing and ferromagnetic fluid to demonstrate magnetic field.
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What does Iron man eat for breakfast?
In this activity children will compare mixtures and solutions. They will be extracting iron from various breakfast cereals. They will then document and conclude which cereals would be the healthiest for Iron Man to eat for breakfast.
AMAZING THEMES AND TOPICS
Chemistry
Atoms and Molecules
children will be using molecular modelling kits to model the structure of an atom and to be aware that all matter consists of particles called atoms. Atoms are the building blocks of matter. They will learn that atoms consist of three parts Protons (positively charged), Neutrons (neutral charge) and Electrons (negatively charged). Atoms bond to each other to form elements, which contain only one kind of atom. Atoms of different elements form compounds, molecules, and objects.
Protons and neutrons form the atomic nucleus. Electrons are attracted to the protons in the nucleus, but are moving so quickly they fall toward it (orbit) rather than stick to protons.
Children will carry out chemical reactions but prior to this they will use the modelling kit to observe the chemical reaction taking place.
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Colour Tower
Children get to learn about density by making a coloured liquid tower and observing the effect of density at play.
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Invisible Ink / Hidden Message
In this activity children will have great fun revealing their secret / hidden message and learning about carbon compounds (lemon juice is a great source of carbon compounds) with oxidising properties. They also learn why the paper turns brown (this is due to oxidation the process of combining carbon atoms with the air and turning light things into dark brown).
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My Pennies
In this activity children will investigate how an acidic, vinegar-based solution can help to get “dirty” pennies clean. Children will observe chemical change and investigate the real-world connections.
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Chromatography
In this activity children will be learning about the separation of colours and carrying out an experiment to reveal how primary colours are made up of different colour pigments.
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Immiscible -Lava Lamp
In this activity children will learn about liquid density and immiscible liquids (they don’t mix when put together). They will create a mixture of oil, water and food colouring and then add an Alka-Seltzer tablet, to create a lava lamp. Children will record their observations during each step and will discuss the changes taking place.
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Scared Pepper
In this activity children will learn about surface tension as water acts as a skin. The surface tension is caused when water molecules line up with each other at the edges of the liquid. When soap is added it weakens the strength of the surface tension and with the rest of the surface under tension. Children will learn about hydrophobic (water hating) and hydrophilic (water loving) properties of soaps and detergents.
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Milk magic
Children will be wowed by this really simple science activity. They will observe how the detergent breaks up the fat in the full fat milk by grabbing hold of the fat and moving it away (this demonstrates what happens when you wash up to get rid of fats and grease)
Sweet is in the tasting
In this activity children will learn about the science behind sweets and perform a number of investigations and they get to make their own popping sherbet to taste and take home too.
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Inflate a balloon
In this activity children will perform an acid / base reaction to inflate a balloon without using their mouths. Reaction between acetic acid (vinegar) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which produces a gas
(carbon dioxide) that inflates the balloon.
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Chemical reaction comparison
In this activity children will perform two chemical reactions; first will be between acetic acid (vinegar) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and the second will be between Alka-Seltzer and water carried out in a ziplock bag. A gas would be produced by both reactions, causing it to inflate. Children will make observations. Children will also learn that these are both endothermic (making heat) reactions.
Polymer Chain Reaction Science
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In this section children will get to perform a number of experiments learning about polymer science.
Polymers are very large long chain molecules, formed by repeated patterns of chemical units strung together.
These polymers are unique because of their super absorbency. Absorption is the process in which one thing soaks up another. This type of polymer is a lot like the kind used in disposable nappies!
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Super absorbent polymers
Children will learn about super absorbent polymer (sodium poly acylate) and its uses in everyday materials such as nappies. They will get to experiment with the polymer, by adding water of varying quantities to make fake snow as well as investigate how much water a certain quantity of polymer would hold, their observation would be recorded and discussions had about their observations and findings.
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Slippery Slime
Children exploring and learning about colloids and polymer science as well as states of matter. Get gooey and sticky having fun! They all get to make and take home their own-coloured slime pot! flexible, stretchy, and pliable
Magnetic slime
Children get to add small amounts of iron fillings to their slime mixture and watch the slime take on magnetic properties. They get to test this using magnets to train their slime to move in all direction.
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Solid or Liquid-Oobleck Slime
In this activity children get to measure out corn flour or custard powder and adding the correct quantity of water they get to make an amazing slime which can't decide if it is a solid or liquid.
Water Bead / Invincible marbles
Children will get to play with water absorbing polymer beads also known as water crystal gels. These beads absorb large amount of water to swell up. Children will learn what a polymer is and some if it many uses and properties. They will learn about the the refractive index of light, the bead have same refractive index as light and will bend light at the same refractive index as water.
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Glowing water beads (using tonic water)
In this experiment children observe how the tonic is absorbed by the polymer beads and they glow when they are exposed to invisible UV black light. This is to do with the prescience of a fluorescent compound called 'Quinine' (that fluoresces / shines under black light). Generally tonic water tastes bitter because of the presence of a chemical compound ‘Quinine’.
Children will also observe changes between regular water and tonic water beads. This is to do with the presence of sugar in tonic water.
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The water beads used are non-toxic and are safe for children to touch and play with. The polymer beads are NOT edible.
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The black light torch that we use is a low powered long wave UV torch. They are safe to use, but do NOT expose the black light to eyes directly.
AMAZING THEMES AND TOPICS
Solve It Forensics
Children will use forensic techniques to solve a mock crime. They will also learn to take and classify their own fingerprints.
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Sound Waves
Children discover how sounds are made and associates them with vibrations. Exploring patterns between volume, strength of vibrations and how the pitch of a sound varies from the object that produces it. A noisy Bang!
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Dry Ice!
Children will learn about states of matter and learn that dry ice is carbon dioxide in solid state. They will observe it changing from the solid state to the gaseous state (sublimation). Children will interact with a variety of Fantastic experiments.
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Make a Candle
Children learn about states of matter solids, liquids and gases and they get to make their own candles to take home.
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The Earth
Children will get to explore the Earth’s spectacular layers and how the earth's crust is regenerated through trenches and volcanoes. Children will make a model of the earth with its varying layers.
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Volcanoes
Children will learn about volcanoes and the different layers of the earth's structure. They will get to create and experiment with their own volcanoes demonstrating the explosive nature of volcanic eruptions. They will be carrying out an acid / base reaction using vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (base) and observe the chemical reaction taking place.
Elephant toothpaste
Children will have fun performing this experiment and also learning to understand that an ‘exothermic’ (creation of heat) reactions has taken place. Chemical changes, catalysis and decomposition reactions. The tiny bubble produced from the foam is filled with oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide.
The instructor will use a very concentrated solution of hydrogen peroxide and potassium iodine instead of yeast to create the wow effect that children love. For safety reasons, only the instructor will deal with the chemical products but a child friendly version will be performed by the children to touch and interact more.