10th - 19th March is British Science Week 2017. Organised by the British Science Association, British Science Week (BSW) is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths - featuring fascinating, entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK.
There are thousands of events taking place across the UK throughout the week and it’s easy to find one near you. Simply head over to the BSW events map and search your region for your nearest organised event.
Alternatively, you can celebrate BSW in your own playground - we’ve put together all of our favourite outdoor science ideas and guides together on our Pinterest page. You can also head over to our Outdoor Science resources page to find all of our related blog posts and advice.
Taking science outdoors is all about discovery and giving children the opportunity to learn through doing. Science lessons are much better when they’re messy, active and noisy so the playground is the perfect place to host them.
How can you take science into the playground? We’ve got a few ideas hidden up our lab coat sleeves…
Experimenting with water in the classroom ends in a lot of soggy exercise books so head outside and fill up a Water Table to learn about forces and water. Fill our Sinking Ships with lots of different materials to see which one makes it sink first. Weights, pebbles, marbles, sand, even ice make great variables for this fun, hands-on project.
Learning about eco-systems and the life-cycle of plants is essential in science lessons and there’s no better way to do it than seeing it up close and personal. Encourage the children to plant flowers or herbs in Vegee-tables so that they can watch them grow and see each stage of the life-cycle in real-time (as a bonus - they’re 10% off throughout March). A Mini-Beast Habitat is perfect for learning about natural habitats and ecosystems. Children can watch insects make it their home over the year and see how the eco-system forms.
British Science Week is the perfect time to announce that we will be sponsoring the Big Science Event again this year with Science Oxford. The Big Science Event is a competition aimed to encourage creative science through pupil-led investigations. It’s an amazing opportunity for Primary pupils to get hands-on with science and engage their investigatory skills. We saw some amazing presentations at last year’s Finals Day and we’re already looking forward to seeing what’s in store for 2017.
Looking for more ways to take science into your playground? Read some of our most popular blog posts below or book a consultation with one of our local advisors to find out how you can enjoy more outdoor learning.
Fun Facts About Space
5 Perfect Products for Outdoor Science
Getting Buggy With It - Science and Nature
Cosmic Ways to Teach Science in the Playground