LASAR (Learning about Science and Religion) has been exploring different opportunities to engage children with practical science enquiry to develop children's understanding of the nature of science and how they suppose science connects to 'big questions'. After-school club opportunities and classroom opportunities are presented.

Previous articles in "Primary Science" have presented a range of ways to teach electricity in engaging and informative ways (e.g. Buckley and Harvey, 2014; Chapman, 2014; Norman, 2014; CLEAPSS, 2016) and Frank Harris provides an interesting historical account of the development and use of batteries in "School Science Review"…

The SunSpaceArt (SSA) project, led by the author, a solar scientist at the University of Cambridge, comprises a diverse team of scientists and visual artists who run STEAM (STEM + Arts) workshops in schools, space camps and at other venues (museums, science centres and so on). The project focuses mainly on 7- to 12-year-olds, which is a key age…

It can be a continual struggle to develop interesting and engaging experiments for use in primary schools, especially when related to electrical phenomena. Most people are familiar with the phenomenon of charged objects picking up paper or attracting hair, but there are number of simple and highly engaging activities within this area that are…

In this article, the author discusses her ground-breaking work with her organisation, Creative Tuition Collective, in Bristol, and how schools can have an impact on decolonising the curriculum through active environmental science contexts. Included is an exemplar diversification STEM activity for primary level.

There are arguably advantages to adopting a cross-curricular approach to planning, teaching and learning. This approach often works well for incorporating scientific skills and the wider perspectives of geography, technology and maths. It can help children to develop and consolidate their understanding through practical application and gives them…

The atom is science's biggest idea! And now it is known that even children from 4 years of age can grasp it, creating science education's biggest worldwide opportunity. Dr. Jenny Donovan and Dr. Carole Haeusler of the University of Southern Queensland conducted multiple studies to show that primary-age children, mostly aged 7-9 years in their…

The topic 'Animals including humans' runs through the primary science National Curriculum in England (DfE, 2013). Ideally, topics such as inheritance will lead onto adaptation, natural selection and evolution across key stages 1 to 2 (ages 5-11). This article provides nine engaging activities to support the teaching of adaptation and improve…

The logistics of finding and inviting STEM professionals (volunteers from science-based industries, universities, etc.) into the classroom can appear daunting, combined with fact-handing over control of some of the lesson. So, do the benefits make the effort worthwhile? In this article, the author describes the impact that STEM professionals could…

In 2018-19, Dr. Guirong Wang, from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, spent a year with the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC). CIEC has been involved in world-class outreach work for thirty years. They have combined the design of effective practical programmes with research and evaluation of impact. This article explores…

The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC) team at the University of York has carried out research and evaluation into the impact of their resources and programmes since the programme began in 1996, to ensure that all their programmes -- are improved to meet the changing needs of both schools and companies. Furthermore, their research…

Linking Education and Farming (LEAF) Education uses food, farming and nature to reach out to children in new and imaginative ways across the science curriculum. Their work at a grass roots level, with teachers, children and farmers, shows just how powerful farming and nature can be in helping develop a lifelong love for science and fuelling…

During the COVID-19 'lockdown', members of the Association for Science Education (ASE) primary science community worked together to develop a series of remote learning resources for the 2020 summer term. This article describes how the aim of making science, with embedded science enquiry activities, accessible to parents and children in their home…

One of the objectives in the science National Curriculum in England is to 'observe changes across the four seasons' (DfE, 2013: 9). The winter months can be a busy time for teachers, but can also cater for a wide range of science experiments based around the season. Practical investigations based on winter themes can hold a sense of magic and…

As schools in England re-open their doors and welcome children back in September 2020 after the COVID-19 lockdown, what can, and should, primary science look like in the 'new normal'? If timetables are constricted to adhere to the demands of social distancing, innovative practical science enquiry will be needed. Even if they are not, the…