How can you help at home?

1. Be Interested:

Find out your child’s termly topics and take an interest — find relevant books in the library or bookshop, do some research, brush up your own knowledge about the topic! Then you can have interesting conversations where you are both learning at the same time.

2. Take a trip:

Why not take a trip to a science museum, a zoo or an aquarium? These don’t necessarily need to be completely related to what they are learning about at school. Any visit can help their curiosity and engagement with science generally.

3. Make it personal:

Find out about famous scientists and research unique and exciting inventions up to and including the present day. Who knows, you may have the next Stephen Hawking or Marie Curie at home!

4. Get hands-on:

Look up fun, practical science experiments you can do at home with everyday objects. For example:

• Ask ‘What happens when you mix food colouring in milk?’ Then add washing up liquid and watch what happens.
• Why not try making your own mini exploding volcano? Just add bicarbonate of soda, food colouring, washing up liquid and vinegar. Then stand back and watch the eruption!
• Cooking is also a great opportunity to mix ingredients, add heat and examine changing states.
• Try exploring changing states with ice and water to begin to see those changes that can be reversed and those that can’t.
• A real favourite would have to be ‘gloop’ — use water and cornflour (add food colouring too if needed) to explore solids and liquids. Just be prepared to get messy!
• Of course, there are also some wonderful science kits available to buy to push your scientists further – making crystals, rockets and even bouncy balls.

Anything where they can be hands-on and see the science happen in front of their eyes is guaranteed to be get them interested.

5. Check updates from these sites for help with topics:

www.hamiltontrust.co.uk

www.pstt.org.uk

KS2 Science - BBC Bitesize

KS1 Science - England - BBC Bitesize

Links for EYFS Bitesize are being developed