This resource contains science activities to be used with children from preschool to Year 6. These are great to have as a substitute or casual teacher but also the classroom teacher with multi-grades. You will find the Australian Curriculum outcomes included and instructions and printouts for each one.

Preschool

OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials

Create a table of items such as play dough, sponges, silk, bark, sandpaper…anything you can find around the house or preschool that is safe for children.

Create hoops with names on them…we have provided a few ideas. Let children play with the items and describe them using their words and provide new words they can use. Place the item in the appropriate hoop. You can decide which hoop is best for that item or overlap some hoops to suit and make a simple Venn diagram.

Science

Foundation Year Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Chemical sciences

Objects are made of materials that have observable properties (ACSSU003)

Put out 10 or more objects such as a rubber, sponge, bark, sandpaper, etc.

Have students draw on the sheet provided where each of them go…rough/smooth and inflexible/flexible

Year 1 Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Biological sciences

Living things have a variety of external features (ACSSU017)

Print out the images of the plants and animals. Print out the words. Laminate them all and cut out the words. Place Velcro dots around the images where indicated and also on the back of the words. Students label the different parts of the plants and animals with the correct word. We have matched the label colours to the backgrounds of the images and provided answer cards as well.

Extension: Draw a plant or animal of your own and label.

Year 2 Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Chemical sciences

Different materials can be combined for a particular purpose (ACSSU031)

Supply a variety of objects for students to explore such as toys (cars, dolls), shoes, kitchen utensils, etc.

Using the worksheet available, students fill in the details as they explore each object.

Year 3 Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Biological sciences

Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be distinguished from non-living things (ACSSU044)

Send students outside to explore and fill in the table of living and non-living things.

You will need to explore the characteristics of both before this happens. Characteristics of living things includes, feeding, movement, breathing (respiration), excretion, growth, sensitivity and reproduction. Go over a few things using the chart provided and decide why they are living or non-living, e.g. the car can move but can it breath or reproduce? A butterfly can feed, grow, move, breath, excrete, reproduce and are sensitive (can respond) to the environment.

Year 4 Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Biological sciences

Living things depend on each other and the environment to survive (ACSSU073)

As a whole class, look at the predator/prey relationship of a crocodile. What do crocodiles eat? What is their usual prey? Note that prey is an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food. The diagram provided does not include all crocodile prey.

Students then fill out a sheet by choosing 4 animals and recording their prey. Present this information to the classroom.

Extension: Look at a shark or other animal. What do sharks eat? What do the things they eat, eat? Create a food chain, e.g. Shark eat tuna or large fish, tuna eat mackerel or small fish, small fish eat shrimplike creatures who eat one-celled life in the ocean.

Year 5 Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Biological sciences

Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment (ACSSU043)

Year 6 Content Descriptions

Science Understanding

Biological sciences

The growth and survival of living things are affected by physical conditions of their environment (ACSSU094)

Students look at how living things adapt to be able to live in their environment. Students could do this on an animal or plant of choice or use the worksheet to look at how to living things have adapted to living in the desert or in freezing temperatures.