Teaching ScienceIdeas and help for trainee Science teachers

rEvolution is a collection of online games, designed to introduce and reinforce key concepts in biology, ecology and plant science. They might make enjoyable activities for your science students at the end of term, as a plenary, or for a STEM Club. Suitable for KS3/4/5

Play the games here : http://www.saps.org.uk/secondary/beyond-the-classroom/545

This is part of the Science and Plants in Schools website which has some excellent resources for both Primary and Secondary teachers : http://www.saps.org.uk

Get ready for Great Plant Hunt Week 17 – 22 May 2010! This is a great way of getting your students participating in real scientific research. Take part in this special thinking walk activity between the 17th and 22nd May, looking for 10 easy to spot plants and simply take a photo of the ones that you find in flower!

With schools across the UK uploading these photos to a map on the website, you can look at how the flowering in this small snapshot of time may differ geographically – maybe look to see if the dandelions are flowering in your neighbouring school? You can also compare this year’s data to last, click here to see the results from the same week last year, do you think there might be different results this year?

Visit the Great Plant Hunt Week website to find out more: http://www.greatplanthunt.org/gphweek

New Resources for Foundation Stage

The Great Plant Hunt website has added to its range of primary school activities and has released a set of new activities for 3-5 year olds.

Now freely available for download from the website, along with supporting materials, these three activities will get your foundation classes out exploring the natural world, getting creative and preparing for a colour themed party! As always the activities enjoy close links to the curriculum in areas such as observation, colour, counting, sorting and creative development.

Find out more about these brand new resources and get your class plant hunting – you’re never too young to learn from the great outdoors!

Resources for all other key stages, and also teachers guides, can be found on the main site: http://www.greatplanthunt.org

Get ready for Great Plant Hunt Week 17 – 22 May 2010 The Great Plant Hunt Week Phenology Activity is a great way of getting your students participating in real scientific research. Take part in this special thinking walk activity between the 17th and 22nd May, looking for 10 easy to spot plants and simply take a photo of the ones that you find in flower! With schools across the UK uploading these photos to a map on the website, you can look at how the flowering in this small snapshot of time may differ geographically – are the dandelions flowering in your neighbouring school?

How about on the other side of the UK? You can also compare this year’s data to last, click here to see the results from the same week last year, do you think there might be different results this year?

If you want advice and ideas for using Plants in the classroom, then the SAPS website is well worth bookmarking. (Science and Plants in Schools)

You can download a pdf version of their booklet – Living Processes and What Plants Need to Grow from this page. (download each section separately)

Also look out for

Plants for Primary Schools – a series of booklets

Parts of a Plant and their functions

Reproduction and Life Cycles 1

Reproduction and Life Cycles 2