Science – Infant

• Reception
• Year 1
• Year 2

Autumn 1 2023

In Reception this half term, we have enjoyed exploring Ted’s Den, where we have been able to make potions and recipes in the mud kitchen and explore how to make water flow down the pipes in the water area. We have also had lots of fun finding worms in the digging pit and studying them closer with magnifying glasses and ‘bugnoculars’!

We have started to notice the weather changing and have discussed that sometimes we may now need a coat on as we are now in autumn. We have also noticed that lots of the leaves in Ted’s Den have started to change from green to orange, yellow and brown and some have even fallen off the trees onto the floor.

We have also been exploring with the magnets to work out which materials in the classroom are magnetic and how we can make them ‘stick together’.

Summer 1 2023

This half term we have been learning about traditional tales in our ‘Once upon a time’ topic. We have explored how to make porridge for Goldilocks and even tried it ourselves. It was just right! We have also been constructing straw, stick and brick houses for the pigs to hide in and planted our own seeds when learning about ‘Jack and the beanstalk’.

We also had a special visitor who came to tell us the story of ‘Hansel and Gretel’. We travelled through the woods to get to the house made of sweets, helped Hansel to leave a trail of bread to find his way home and then watched the birds eat the crumbs! We then helped the witch to create her potion using fizzing eyeballs, a foaming pumpkin and lots of creepy crawlies. At the end we learned how to reveal a secret message to help the witch decide if Hansel was ready to eat.

Spring 2 2023

As part of our ‘People who help us’ topic, we have been exploring different jobs including vets, nurses, dentists, firefighters and police officers. We have been lucky to have lots of visitiors into school to tell us all about what they do and how they help others.

We found out that fire fighters have to be good at working as a team to put out fires. We had a go with the hose and learned that the pressure makes the water come out of the hose.

“They have medium, small and big hoses” – Leo.

When Leanne from the RSPCA visited she told us that animals need to be checked over at the vets. We then looked at different ways that animals are treated for their injuries.

We learned that doctors and nurses need to know lots about the human body to be able to treat patients that are poorly. We also discovered that there are different types of equipment that check parts of the body e.g. a stethoscope can be used to check someone’s heart.

When we spoke to a dentist we found out that there are some foods that are healthy for our teeth. We learned that milk and water are the best drinks to have to keep our teeth nice and healthy.

We looked at the mirrors and tools that dentists use to see and check teeth and learned about the protective equipment dentists have to wear to make sure that germs are not spread easily.

“If you eat lots of sweets you get cavities” – Ava.

A Pirate Adventure!

Reception had an exciting visitor, from a science storytelling workshop, who took them on an adventure to hunt for lost treasure. First, we discovered a treasure map, and voyaged on a pirate ship to find the first clue. We then arrived on a desert island and had to solve clues to find the treasure. We worked together to find the keys by colour mixing, making keys float and exploring magnetic materials. We then had to count all of the objects in the bag to find the final code for the treasure chest!

Spring 1 2023

We have been continuing to explore ice this half term and have enjoyed spending time in Ted’s Den exploring the best ways to crack ice. We noticed that some ice is transparent and some ice is opaque. We also saw that in some of the tuff trays the top of the water had frozen and turned into ice but there was still water underneath. When we shook the trays bubbles appeared and you could see the water under the ice.

We also had fun painting with frozen ice cubes and investigating what happens when you mix colours.

Under the canopy, we constructed some ramps to push the tyres down. We watched to see which tyres rolled the fastest.

Autumn 2 2022

This half term in Reception, we have enjoyed learning about Autumn and Bonfire night. We then used our imaginations while toasting some marshmallows on a fire and even built our own den with a campfire.

We also enjoyed exploring ice and talked about when water might freeze and how water is different from ice.

Autumn 1 – 2023

Year 1 have thoroughly enjoyed our Animal Life topic this half term! We started by identifying and classifying lots of different animals. We sorted animals by what they eat, as well as by their animal class (mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and insects). We then moved on to exploring body parts, of animals and humans. We really enjoyed our human body parts lesson especially as we drew around and labelled a member of each class!

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We also had a very exciting visit from Wycomb Mobile Petting Farm as part of our ‘Animal Life’ topic. We saw some familiar animlas who came to school last year such as Thumbelina the Shetland Pony, Marvin and Minnie the goats as well as sheep, guinea pigs and rabbits. There were also some new animals like Chocolate Buttons the poodle and a chicken!

‘It was the best day ever!’ – Jasper

‘My favourite animal was the black goat, Minnie!’ – Louie

‘I wish the farm could come every day!,’ – Freddie

Summer 1 2023

This half term the children have enjoyed investigating and naming different plants including deciduous and evergreen trees. We learned about the different things that plants need to grow and planted our own seeds to observe over time. We then looked at some common flowers under a digital microscope and discussed the different parts of the plants that we could see. We looked at the petals, stem, leaves and roots and thought about the functions of these.

Spring 2 2023

This half term the children have enjoyed identifying different everyday materials. They looked at the properties of each material and discussed as a class why particular materials are used when inventing objects. We thought about the purpose of each object and that the material had to be suitable for its use. The children can confidently distinguish between an object and the material it is made from. All the children made careful observations and shared their findings with their peers.

As part of our topic ‘Our planet and beyond’ the children discussed constellations and how they are made up of stars in space. This linked to our previous learning when the Planetarium visited in Spring 1. The children recreated constellations using marshmallows and spaghetti and even had a go at creating their own constellations!

Spring 1 2023

Year 1 children had an exciting visit from Mr Bell from Weatherquest as part of the start of their Weather Experts topic this half term. Mr Bell shoed the children how he presents the local weather on BBC Look East, discussed extreme weathers and the instruments used to measure weather.

We then learnt about how floods are caused and how countries prepare for floods. We then worked in groups to design flood proof houses. We tested these houses by putting them into a tough tray and pouring water in to replicate a flood.

Autumn 2 2022

This half term we have led many interesting experiments linked to our Winter Wonderland topic.

We started by discovering which material would be the best insulator to transport ice penguin pets. The children predicted which materials would be the best insulator, then they led their experiment, and finally they evaluated which material was the best insulator.

We also classified some polar animals into categories of the children’s choosing. Some children classified by what the animals eat, what they look like, and what animal class they are.

We continued to explore polar animals when we led another experiment about penguins, about how they keep dry. We found out that the oil on their feathers helps them to keep dry, like the oil on our orange oil pastel penguin.

Autumn 1 – 2023

In Year 2 this half term we have been working scientifically by observing seeds over time. We started by exploring different types of seeds, taking notice of some of the similarities and differences between their colour and shape. We then learned about what a plant needs to grow and made some predictions about what we thought would happen to the seeds in different conditions.

We then had a look at some bulbs and used what we had learned about seeds to predict the best conditions for a bulb to grow.

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Summer 1 2023

In Year 2 this half term we have been exploring habitats and microhabitats. We visited our garden and pond areas to record some data of what we could find living in these microhabitats. We then created our own tally charts and used these to draw a pictogram and then create one using the tablets.

We then explored how animals are adapted to their habitats by observing woodlice in a choice chamber. We predicted where we thought the woodlice would prefer, using what we had learned from collecting data in our own microhabitats. We then carried out the investigation to determine if our predictions were correct.

Spring 2 2023

In Year 2 this half term we have been looking at growing. We started by exploring a variety of different seeds and looked at the best conditions for a plant to grow by setting up a class enquiry to test the variables (light, water, warmth). We then making predictions of what we thought would happen to the cress and observed the plants over time to see how they changed. We then looked at the similarities and differences between seeds and bulbs. We also used our findings from the cress to predict the best growing conditions for a bean and recorded what happened to a bean over time.

We have also learned about the different stages in the life cycle of a frog and discussed how a frogs obtain their food from their habitat by looking at food chains. We used our research skills to find out about the habitats of frogs and why features of those habitats help frogs to survive. We then had a go at drawing our own frog food chains thinking about the producers, consumers, carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, and discussed what we thought would happen if part of the food chain was missing.

Spring 1 2023

This half term we have looked at what happens to our bodies when we exercise. We discovered that when you exercise your breathing can get faster, you sweat and your heart beats faster. We also looked at what happens to our bodies when we do not exercise or eat healthily.

We then explored the different food groups and learnt why some groups of food may be healthy or unhealthy. We had a go at sorting foods into groups and discussed why it is important to eat different amounts of foods in each food group, according to the Eatwell Plate.

Autumn 2 2022

During our day and night topic the children learnt about how the Earth moves to give us day and night. The children sorted activities that they complete at different times of the day and were interested to learn facts about nocturnal and diurnal animals. They also looked at food chains and thought about nocturnal predators and prey.

We then spent some time exploring things that are alive, dead or never living. We searched our outside areas for things in these groups and then discussed the properties of each group.

Science is taught in a practical way, in order to excite the children and engage them in their learning. They are encouraged to enquire and ask scientific questions as well as to plan, carry out and evaluate their own experiments.

Children also have the use of scientific equipment such as microscopes and magnifying glasses which gives the children hands-on experiences when carrying out investigations.

In the EYFS, Understanding the World incorporates activities that are linked to Science, for example exploring materials, living things and the environment.

Science is taught in Key Stage 1 through half termly topics and linked to the content which incorporates cross curricular components. Children also go on educational visits which are related to topics about Science.

Every Wednesday, a gardening club is run to provide a small group of children with the opportunity to learn about plants and living things. They also get the opportunity to plant their own seeds and look after the school garden. This gives the children real life skills that can be used outside of school as well as developing social skills whilst working with others.

Throughout the year we have visitors who provide the children with real life science experiences, such as Goldcrest Outdoor Education, Zootastic, the RSPB and Starlincs Planetarium.

The children are also given the opportunity to observe and discuss current events from around the globe.

From Summer 2 2016 we will be focusing on ‘Working Scientifically’ and giving the children additional quality opportunities to be scientists!

Science Core Knowledge

The National Curriculum Objectives are grouped into the following areas:

Year 1- Seasonal Changes; Everyday Materials; Animals, including humans; Plants

Year 2- Growing Plants; Uses of Everyday Materials; Animals, including humans;

Living Things and their Habitats

The children are taught these objectives through activities planned to encourage them to work scientifically. This is the main focus of the Science curriculum and we focus on the children working like scientists!

Asking questions is one the most important elements of Science and working scientifically.

Here are some questions that we might discuss or the children may ask in relation to each objective.

Year 1

Seasonal Changes

1. Describe the typical weather that you might see in the Summer
2. Where does rain come from?
3. Are days longer or shorter in the Winter than the Summer? Why?
4. Why do we have seasons?

Everyday Materials

1. What scientific word do we use to describe a material that will not let water pass through it?
2. Can you name something that is shiny? Flexible? Transparent?
3. What type of material is magnetic?
4. What material is the chair made from?

Animals including humans

1. Name some types of animals that live on the earth or fly in the air.
2. What is the scientific name for animals that never eat meat?
3. Which 3 types of animals live in or near water?
4. What is the name of the body part that helps your leg to bend?
5. Which body part allows humans to smell?

Plants

1. Can you name the main parts of a plant?
2. What do you plants need to grow?
3. What is the scientific name for trees that lose their leaves in Autumn and Winter?
4. Can you name the parts of a tree?

Year 1 answers

Seasonal Changes 1. Sunshine. 2. It collects in the sky as clouds and then rain is released when they get heavy. 3. Shorter. Daylight is less in the winter months. 4. Because of the rotation and tilt of the Earth

Everyday Materials 1. Waterproof 2.Foil or metal. Plastic. Glass. 3. Metal. 4. Wood/Fabric

Animals, including humans 1. Mammals, birds, 2. Herbivores. 3. Reptiles, amphibians, fish 4. Knee. 5. Nose.

Plants 1. Petal, flower, leaf, stem, roots 2. Air, light, warmth, nutrients and water 3. Deciduous 4. Trunk, leaf, branch, roots

Year 2

Plants

1. What do plants need to grow healthily?
2. What do seeds and bulbs have inside them that helps them to grow?
3. Name a typical plant you might find growing on a lawn?
4. Will a plant grow well if the temperature is very cold?

Uses of Everyday Materials

1. Should a spoon be made from glass? Why?
2. What would be a good material to use to make an umbrella?
3. Find 4 everyday objects made from metal.
4. What material can you see that could bend/squash/twist/stretch?

Animals including humans

1. In what order are the 4 stages of growth for a chicken?
2. Name 5 adult animals and their babies
3. What do all animals need to survive?
4. What should humans do to live healthily?

Living Things and their Habitats

1. Name some creatures that might live in a woodland.
2. What is the scientific name for a place that something lives?
3. Describe what a ‘food chain’ is
4. Name something living, something dead and a thing that has never been alive

Year 2 answers

Plants 1. Water, light, nutrients, air, warmth. 2. They store food. 3. Daisy or clover. 4. No.

Uses of Everyday Materials 1. No. It will break too easily. Metal and plastic are better 2. A waterproof fabric. 3. Cars, coin, table legs, tools 4. socks, elastic band, blue tac, play dough

Animals including humans 1. Egg, incubation, chick, chicken 2. Sheep and lamb, cow and calf, chicken and chick, butterfly and caterpillar, cat and kitten, dog and puppy 3. Air, food, water, warmth 4. Eat a balanced diet, exercise, hygiene

Living Things and their Habitats 1. Deer, foxes, badgers, birds, adders, beetles, worms 2. Habitat 3. It is how animals obtain their food and energy from plants and other animals 4. Human, withered leaf, a rock