Science Activities for Australian Primary Schools

Science in Australian Primary Schools

Science is one of the most rewarding subjects to teach in primary school — and one of the most important. When students observe, question, predict, and test, they're developing skills that extend far beyond the science classroom. They're learning how to think critically, reason with evidence, and make sense of the world around them.

The Australian Curriculum v9 for Science organises primary science around three interrelated strands — Science Understanding (with sub-strands in Biological, Chemical, Earth and Space, and Physical Sciences), Science as a Human Endeavour, and Science Inquiry. Together, these strands ensure students build both scientific knowledge and the practical skills to investigate and communicate their learning.

Hands-on science matters because students remember what they do, not just what they're told. When a Year 2 class grows bean seeds to observe germination, or a Year 5 class builds simple circuits to understand electrical energy, the learning sticks. Organisations like CSIRO and the Australian Academy of Science provide excellent teacher resources that bring real-world science into the classroom. Practical activities turn abstract concepts into concrete experiences — and they're the part of the week students look forward to most.

Whether you're planning a full science unit or looking for quick experiments to fit into a busy timetable, TeachBuySell has a growing collection of teacher-created science resources and STEM activities designed for Australian primary classrooms.

The Australian Curriculum organises science knowledge within the Science Understanding strand, which has four sub-strands. Each sub-strand builds progressively from Foundation to Year 6, with concepts growing in complexity as students move through primary school.

Biological Sciences

Biological Sciences explores living things — their structure, function, growth, and interactions with each other and their environments. At primary level, this strand covers:

• Foundation–Year 2: Observable features of living things, basic needs of plants and animals, how living things grow and change, and how they can be grouped based on shared characteristics
• Year 3–4: Life cycles of different organisms, structural features and adaptations that help living things survive, and how living things depend on each other within food chains and simple ecosystems
• Year 5–6: How structural features and behavioural adaptations help organisms survive in their environments, and how growth and survival are affected by environmental conditions and changes

This is a natural strand to connect with Australian animals resources for engaging, cross-curricular units.

Chemical Sciences

Chemical Sciences focuses on the composition, properties, and behaviour of materials. Students learn to observe, describe, and classify everyday materials:

• Foundation–Year 2: Properties of materials (hard, soft, rough, smooth, flexible, rigid), how materials can be changed by bending, twisting, stretching, and squashing, and why we choose certain materials for certain purposes
• Year 3–4: How materials can be combined and separated (mixtures and solutions), changes to materials that are reversible and irreversible, and the properties of solids, liquids, and gases
• Year 5–6: Reversible and irreversible changes in greater depth, including dissolving, burning, and rusting, and how changes to materials can be used to produce useful new materials

Earth and Space Sciences

Earth and Space Sciences examines our planet and its place in the universe. Primary students explore observable features of the Earth and sky:

• Foundation–Year 2: Daily and seasonal changes in the environment, observable features of weather and how it affects daily life, and how Earth's resources are used
• Year 3–4: Earth's surface changes over time (weathering, erosion), types of rocks and soil, the water cycle, and Earth's rotation as the cause of day and night
• Year 5–6: Earth's place in the solar system, predictable phenomena such as seasons and eclipses, and how sudden geological and weather events affect Earth's surface

Physical Sciences

Physical Sciences investigates forces, energy, and the behaviour of matter. Students explore concepts through observation and hands-on experimentation:

• Foundation–Year 2: How objects move (pushing, pulling, dropping, rolling), how sound and light are produced, and how forces affect the movement of objects
• Year 3–4: Heat transfer, the behaviour of light (reflection, refraction), contact and non-contact forces (including magnetism), and how forces can be measured
• Year 5–6: Electrical circuits and energy transfer, how light travels and how we see, how forces affect the behaviour of objects (including gravity and friction), and different forms of energy

The best primary science teaching puts students at the centre of their learning. These practical experiment ideas require minimal specialist equipment and work well in regular classrooms.

Foundation to Year 2

Young students are natural scientists — curious, observant, and full of questions. Build on that curiosity with simple investigations:

• Five senses exploration: Set up sensory stations where students observe, touch, smell, listen to, and (safely) taste different materials, then describe and classify what they notice
• Sink or float: Collect a range of everyday objects and have students predict, test, and record whether each sinks or floats — a classic introduction to fair testing and scientific prediction
• Plant growing journals: Students plant seeds (beans or sunflowers work well) and observe, draw, and measure their growth over several weeks, building skills in recording observations and identifying change
• Minibeast hunts: Take students outside to find and observe small creatures in the school grounds, then classify them by observable features — legs, wings, body parts
• Weather observation charts: Students record daily weather observations over a term and look for patterns — connecting science inquiry skills with data literacy

Year 3–4

Students at this level are ready for more structured investigations with variables, fair testing, and recording results:

• Magnet investigations: Explore which materials are magnetic, test magnet strength through different materials, and investigate how distance affects magnetic force
• Simple machines: Build levers, ramps, and pulleys to explore how simple machines make work easier — connect to design and technologies for a cross-curricular unit
• Rock classification: Collect and classify rocks by observable properties (hardness, texture, colour, crystal structure) and research how different rock types are formed
• Life cycle observations: Raise silkworms, butterflies, or tadpoles in the classroom and document the stages of their life cycle through observation journals and diagrams
• Food chain models: Research and build food chain models for Australian ecosystems, identifying producers, consumers, and decomposers

Year 5–6

Upper primary students can handle more complex concepts, longer investigations, and deeper analysis:

• Electrical circuits: Build simple series and parallel circuits using batteries, wires, and bulbs, then investigate what affects the brightness of a bulb — an excellent introduction to variables and controlled experiments
• Chemical changes: Compare reversible changes (dissolving, melting, freezing) with irreversible changes (burning, cooking, rusting) through safe classroom demonstrations and student-led investigations
• Earth's place in space: Build scale models of the solar system, use torches and balls to model day and night, seasons, and eclipses, and research planetary data
• Adaptations investigation: Research how Australian animals have adapted to their environments, comparing structural and behavioural adaptations across species and habitats

Safety note: Always conduct a risk assessment before any science experiment. Check your school's safety policies, ensure adequate supervision, and use appropriate safety equipment. For experiments involving heat, chemicals, or electrical components, teacher demonstration may be more appropriate than student-led investigation for younger year levels.

Science Inquiry Skills

The Australian Curriculum emphasises that science knowledge and science inquiry skills should be taught together — not in isolation. Students should be questioning, predicting, planning, conducting, processing, analysing, evaluating, and communicating as part of every science unit.

In practice, this means designing lessons where students investigate rather than just listen. Even a simple question like "Which paper towel absorbs the most water?" gives students authentic experience with fair testing, measurement, recording, and drawing conclusions from evidence.

The 5E Instructional Model

The 5E model is widely used in Australian primary science teaching and provides a clear structure for planning inquiry-based units:

1. Engage — Capture student curiosity with a provocative question, demonstration, or real-world problem. The goal is to activate prior knowledge and generate interest.
2. Explore — Students investigate through hands-on activities, experiments, or observations. The teacher facilitates rather than directs, allowing students to discover concepts through experience.
3. Explain — Students share their findings and the teacher helps formalise the scientific concepts. This is where key vocabulary and scientific explanations are introduced and clarified.
4. Elaborate — Students apply their new understanding to different contexts or more challenging problems. This deepens understanding and helps students transfer their learning.
5. Evaluate — Students demonstrate their understanding through assessments, presentations, or reflective activities. The teacher assesses both science knowledge and inquiry skills.

The 5E model works particularly well because it mirrors how scientists actually work — starting with curiosity, moving through investigation, and arriving at evidence-based understanding.

Integrating Science with Literacy and Maths

Science provides authentic contexts for reading, writing, and mathematics:

• Reading: Non-fiction texts about scientific topics build comprehension skills and content knowledge simultaneously
• Writing: Science journals, investigation reports, and information texts give students genuine purposes for writing informative and explanatory texts
• Mathematics: Measuring, graphing, recording data, and calculating averages are natural parts of scientific investigation
• Vocabulary: Science introduces precise, technical vocabulary that builds students' academic language

This cross-curricular approach is especially valuable when teaching time is limited — you can address Australian Curriculum outcomes in English and mathematics through your science program.

Assessment Strategies

Effective science assessment goes beyond testing factual recall:

• Science journals: Students maintain ongoing records of observations, predictions, results, and reflections — providing a rich picture of their developing inquiry skills
• Investigation reports: Structured reports demonstrate students' ability to plan, conduct, and communicate investigations
• Practical assessments: Observe students during hands-on activities to assess their inquiry skills, collaboration, and scientific thinking
• Rubrics: Use clear rubrics that assess both science understanding (what students know) and inquiry skills (what students can do)
• Self and peer assessment: Teach students to evaluate their own and each other's scientific thinking and investigation skills