Making Science Fun

Science is about making sense of the structures and patterns of the physical world, using observation and experimentation. Science experiments are so much fun that many adults devote their lives to them. Children have a wonderful curiosity about the world around them and a natural affinity for science. Let’s explore some of the ways in which you can keep your children fascinated and excited in their scientific exploration.

Let the Children Lead It

In Early Years education, the learning is initiated by the children, who will be more motivated and enthusiastic if they are investigating a question that they actually want to answer. In Key Stages 1 and 2 this is more challenging to achieve, but sometimes it just takes a little encouragement to get the ball rolling. Using a video clip of a simple science experiment, or demonstrating something with an unexpected outcome, is often enough to whet their appetites. Does this result always happen? Why does it happen? What would happen if things were done slightly differently? A class discussion can get the children really keen to get started. It’s important to talk about how they might investigate, but don’t give away too much before they start. In fact, sometimes it’s better to pretend that you don’t have the answers either!
 

Give Them Choices

Pupils can develop their own lines of scientific enquiry, posing their own questions and approaches to their learning. You may decide to make the learning completely open-ended or alternatively you might develop several questions that children can choose from. Not only does this give children greater ownership, but it also means you’ll have lots of results that can be shared with the class at the end of the activity.

This activity is a good example of this – it provides a starter investigation for children, and then gives them a choice of further experiments to try and plan.
 

Plan and Work as a Group

Children can often be put off by having to plan an investigation in detail. Making a prediction, controlling variables, and thinking about how to record and interpret their results is a lot to do before they start anything practical. By getting them to plan as a group, children can discuss their ideas and share the workload. This group discussion is really important, and children will need to agree, and possibly compromise, before they start investigating. It’s also worth limiting the amount of writing that children are required to do, perhaps by focussing on one area of learning (e.g. making a prediction) in each experiment.

Group planning also cuts down on your marking. Any work completed can be photocopied after the work is finished (but make sure you mark it before you make a photocopy!)

If you’re concerned about all of the children taking an active part, then give them specific roles during their learning. See this resource for suggestions on how to divide group work.

Even an activity where children are not planning their own investigation can be completed as a pair or a small group. For example, this investigation can easily be completed in pairs.
 

Make Resources Available

A variety of tables and charts can be made available so that children can choose the most appropriate to record their results. This still provides them with choice but saves them a lot of time drawing their own.

You might be worried that giving your pupils more choice will result in them wanting to use an unexpected piece of equipment in their investigation. You can avoid this issue by having a break between planning and carrying out the investigation, giving you time to find resources. Alternatively, have a variety of equipment ready for them to use and explain that they are only allowed to use this apparatus. At this point, it’s worth having a few ‘red herrings’ – pieces of equipment that the children will not have any use for. Many children have the habit of using everything available and this will make them consider what they actually need.

Let Them Make Mistakes

As teachers, we are rightly concerned with the children’s learning. We want them to find the ‘scientific fact’ that we’re getting them to search for. However, children often discover more by getting something wrong than by getting it right. They might not get the answer that we want them to, but they may learn another scientific fact (and some life skills!) on the journey.

That’s not to say that misconceptions do not need dealing with. If children need more time trying to find a solution or to understand what has happened in an investigation, try to work this into the curriculum where possible. After all, none of us want our pupils going home and telling their parents that plants do not actually need sunlight after all!

I Hear and I Forget, I See and I Remember, I Do and I Understand

As much as possible, make your primary science lessons fun and active. Children learn best when they are experiencing something, rather than being told about it. If they are learning about how animals survive, give them an opportunity to be that animal, like in this resource.

It’s important that children plan and explain what they have found out, but they will learn best by doing. Allow them enough time to investigate, developing and adapting their questions as they learn. This resource gives children a fantastic opportunity to learn about air resistance without too much demand for written responses.
 

Make Connections

Science can easily be connected to other areas of the curriculum. Investigations can be linked to class reading books, geography topics or periods of history studied. The result can be a quirky, cool science investigation that will really interest the children, whether it’s providing a balanced lunch for a character in a story or investigating plant dyes to create a cloak fit for a Tudor king!

More resources

CGP+ has buckets of other fun science experiments to help inspire children and promote excellent learning in the classroom.  Check out this selection:

• Little Pig, Little Pig, Make a Sturdy House (Year 1)
• Why Wash Our Hands – Bread Experiment (Year 2)
• Shadow Patterns (Year 3)
• Seed Helicopters (Year 3)
• Making Boats – Water Resistance Investigation (Year 5)
• Beak Investigation (Year 6)

 
I have worked in primary schools for twenty-five years, mostly in Key Stage 2 but I also had a very enjoyable stint in Year 2. I have been a subject leader for art, design and technology, geography, history and maths, which I coordinated for many years. Since leaving teaching, I have worked as an educational resource creator and have really loved being part of the CGP+ family.

To see resources written by Scott, click here.