Playground science has a great deal to offer in terms of creative learning; it is, after all, an environment designed for playful behaviour. Drawing sketches and words with chalk on the playground itself at first feels like breaking rules, but children soon become comfortable at "playing with ideas" in this way. They can then be used in role-play, games and discussion: a chalk stage on which to act out a roleplay; a chalkboard on which to play a game. Creating actions and role-play fires the children's imagination and the less familiar format of the lessons appears to promote original thinking. Reviewing work becomes less threatening and group work is promoted with discussion and sharing of ideas as, in order to complete the activities, children have to explain to others their understanding of the science, the concepts and the associated vocabulary. The chalked words and diagrams are used in lessons and then left for children to play with during the day. The authors' findings were consistent with research that suggests that when children are presented with well-planned group activities that involve decision-making tasks, the chance of disruption due to behavioural concerns is reduced (Baines, Rubie-Davies and Blatchford, 2009). But the right atmosphere does need to be established. The skills required for effective collaborative learning should to be modelled, encouraged and rewarded at all times. [This article is an edited extract from the authors' book "Creative ways to teach primary science" published by McGraw-Hill.]