Here are some ideas and suggestions for science activities that can be done at home for all ages.
Please send in any photographs of your child’s work to the following email address:
windynookprimaryschool@gateshead.gov.uk
We will then upload them all to the website and showcase all your amazing work! We are looking to getting as many as possible, so please try and find some time to have a go over the next day or two!
Please remember that it’s parents/carers who need to send in the photographs and with permission as well.
Take care and stay safe.
Miss Calam
Article 13: You have the right to find out things and share what you think with others, by talking, drawing, writing or in any other way unless it harms or offends other people.
Article 28: You have the right to a good quality education. You should be encouraged to go to school to the highest level you can.
Here are some activities for you to do if you are either lucky enough to have some outdoor space at home or perhaps whilst you are out on your daily walk. Other activities can be done inside the home too! Use the weblinks for simple instructions for each experiment/activity. Kaiden, Nieve and I had lots of fun last week testing these out, hopefully you will have just as much fun this week!
Plants
• Plant Observation Investigation – Look around and you will see a lot of different plant types. When you see a plant or flower in its natural habitat, write down the observations you make about it by filling out the Plant Observation Sheet. (see link)
http://www.sciencebug.org/docs/Plant_Observation_Investigation.pdf
• Measuring the Age of Trees – Use the instructions and the sheet in the link to investigate the age of trees in your garden/yard/street. http://www.sciencebug.org/docs/Measuring_the_Age_of_Trees.pdf
States of Matter
• How about creating a lava lamp – http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/lava-lamp/. You could also make one using a slim drinking glass. All you need is a slim glass, water, oil, food dye and salt. Fill the glass two thirds full with water, then add a couple of drops of food dye. (Lighter colours like yellow work best.) Then top up the glass with oil, (either baby or cooking oil), but leave an inch or two clear at the top. Now just pour in some salt and watch your lamp come to life.
• Ice excavations – Place a few small toys into bowls/tubs of water and freeze. Can the children try to rescue the toy. Experiment with salt and warm water to see which help the ice to melt the fastest.
• Jar tornado – A really simple experiment to do which only needs a couple of household items. Why not make a natural disaster in a jar! https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/kids-science-tornado-jar/ • Baking soda volcano – The first step is to build the volcano — wrapping a jar in Play-Doh will do the trick, or use papier-mâché for those feeling a bit more ambitious. Decorate it with whatever scraps you have, or some natural items from a park or yard, like pebbles, grass and flowers. Make the lava with baking soda, detergent, vinegar and warm water, add it into the volcano — and watch it erupt. https://artfulparent.com/volcano-eruptions-in-our-kitchen/
Light and Sound
• Water Xylophone – Here’s a way to make music without investing in a pricey instrument. Fill as many jars as you’d like with varying levels of water and food coloring to create a liquid rainbow. And then, have fun making sounds by tapping them with wooden sticks. (Bamboo skewers work well.) Keep one jar empty as a constant.
• Shadow Drawing – Try drawing 3D shadow shapes outdoors on a sunny day. You should find the shadow changes as the day progresses and the sun moves. Try drawing a shadow of the same shape every 2 hours during the day. What happens?
Forces
• Race Paper Aeroplanes – Use the link to create many different shaped paper planes, or experiment by making your own. Then use your garden/yard to see which ones fly the furthest. If you don’t have any outdoor space, try racing the planes in your living room. Does it make a difference if you launch your planes from different heights? https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-the-worlds-best-paper-airplanes/
• Sinking or floating – Choose items around the house or garden and predict whether it will sink or float. Make your predictions and then test.
• Shape strength – Test the strength of paper. Using three pieces of A4 paper, create a cylinder, cuboid and triangular prism. These represent how columns are used to support buildings and other structures. Now lets see which shape is stronger. Make a prediction before carefully piling books on top of each column. https://creeksidelearning.com/stem-activities-for-kids-how-strong-is-a-piece-of-paper/
Everyday Materials
• Shrink a crisp packet science experiment – Use the step by step guide to shrink a crisp packet, then turn it into a keyring by puncturing a small hole in it’s corner and feeding the ring through. http://www.planet-science.com/categories/experiments/chemistry-chaos/2012/01/shrink-a-crisp-packet.aspx
• Build a raft – using different materials and test to see how well it floats. How much weight can you add before your raft sinks?
• Candy Towers – Build towers with blocks, sweets or biscuits to learn about stable structures. This is also a fun activity for learning about earthquakes!(see link for earthquake experiment) https://www.science-sparks.com/earthquake-science-investigations/
Cooking/ Food
Why not explore measuring, weighing, mixing ingredients, temperatures and changes of states by cooking.
• Make A Healthy Smoothie – Follow these easy yummy recipes to enjoy the sunny weather with a healthy smoothie in hand. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/smoothie
• Make Ice Lollies – Use an icy lolly mould and some fruit juice to create some scrumptious ice lollies to enjoy when the sun shines.
• Gingerbread Men – Why not create some gingerbread characters and then decorate them. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gingerbread-people
• Simple homemade pizza – https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pizza-homemade-sauce
Earth and Space
• Straw rocket – Can you create a straw rocket then see how far you can shoot it? https://www.science-sparks.com/straw-rockets/
• Water Powered Bottle Rocket – Why not follow the simple instructions to make and test your rocket. https://www.science-sparks.com/making-a-bottle-rocket/
• Moon Experiments – Find out how craters form by dropping marbles into flour and chocolate powder. https://www.science-sparks.com/craters/
Animals and Their Habitats
• Insect Observation Investigation – Look for different insects outside your home. Look on trees and under rocks. Fill out the Insect Observation Data Collection Sheet. (see link) http://www.sciencebug.org/docs/Insect_Observation_Investigation.pdf
• Favourite Bird Food – Find out more about the birds in your backyard and what they like to eat. Gather four pie plates and fill each with a different kind of bird food. You can use sunflower seeds, oats, birdseed, breadcrumbs, cracked corn and/or small fruits. Put all the pie plates outside, on the ground, a few feet away from each other. Watch from a window to see what birds like the different foods. Record the type of bird that went to each plate. Record the length of time you watched your plates and the time of day. (see link) http://www.sciencebug.org/docs/Favorite_Bird_Foods.pdf
• Spider Search – Go on a spider search of your area using the sheet to record your findings. http://www.sciencebug.org/docs/Spider_Search.pdf
• Preserve A Spider Web – Find an abandoned spider web. To make sure it is abandoned you should either tap it gently or blow lightly on the web. If a spider still lives on the web it will move and you will see it. If no spider appears then the web is good to preserve. Sprinkle it with baby powder or talcum powder so that it is easier to see. Then spray a piece of black paper with hairspray or acrylic fixative and while the paper is still wet hold it to the website that the web sticks onto the paper. Gently push the paper through the web, breaking any threads that hold it in place.
Humans and the Senses
• Colour Mixing Sensory Bottles – All you need is an empty plastic bottle with lid, water, baby oil and two different colours of food colouring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDBKn4pJ3Ks
• Test Your Superhero Sensory Powers – How about challenging a member of your family to one of the following challenges. Who has the best sensory powers? 1. Blind taste testing – Use a scarf/towel or blindfold to cover your eyes. Get your grown to find several different types of food and put small pieces of them in your mouth one at a time. Can you guess what each food item is just by using your sense of taste? 2. Blind smell testing – Again use a scarf/towel or blindfold to cover your eyes. Get your grown to find foods that have different smells. (herbs, spices, marmite etc) Get them to place them near your nose one at a time. Can you guess what each food item is just by using your sense of smell? 3. Superhero Listening Skills – Use the link to play the listening game. How many sounds can you guess? Multiple choice guesses – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiDcUIYncCA Harder sounds to guess – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTNL3WXEexA 4. The Feely Bag – Using a drawstring bag or old cardboard box with a hand sized hole cut out. Ask a grown up to place different items inside, one at a time. Can you place your hand inside and try and guess what objects they are.
• Create a fake lung – All you need is a plastic bottle, a straw, an elastic band, scissors, 2 balloons and playdough. https://www.science-sparks.com/breathing-making-a-fake-lung/
Websites
• Ask Dr Universe – A great way for children who have science related questions to find the answers. Why are carrots orange or why do flowers smell nice? Well you could use Ask Dr Universe, which answers all of those tricky questions. Children can input their own questions about the world, plus access a bank of answered ones across every topic imaginable. The service is for children at all learning levels. https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/
• Maddie Moate – Suitable for KS1 and KS2 children, Maddie Moate demonstrates daily science experiments you can try at home. They are fun, easy to follow and will entertain. https://www.youtube.com/user/maddiemoate
• NASA – Please use the NASA website to look at videos, games and activities that are space related. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/do/