As human population increases our appetite for meat is growing but very soon demand will outstrip supply. Farming large animals puts a strain on our natural resources and creates polluting waste. Scientists are proposing eating insects to help solve this problem. In this activity students are asked to plan a menu...

This topic, from the Association for Science Education and aimed at students aged 8-12, focuses on nutrition and the links between diet and health. Students reflect the cultural significance of diet. The topic allows classes in schools across the world to exchange information about food and health.

After...

Ebola can spread quickly with devastating consequences. To help fight it scientists are developing drugs and vaccines. In this activity students are asked if they would trial a new Ebola vaccine. They gather information from different sources, weigh up risks and benefits and apply what they know about genes to...

These Cre8ate maths activities involve complex analysis of information, a variety of calculations and the need to handle mixture of units, moving between grams, kilograms and tonnes. These activities are designed to give pupils an insight into the relative cost to the environment of travel and to highlight ways in...

From the Centre for Science Education, the RA3 project aims to bring parents together with their children and teachers to explore the worlds of science, technology, engineering and maths.

In this activity, families investigate the impacts they have on the environment and consider their ecological footprint....

Ecology is one of the titles in the series of ASE Lab Books that were published in the early 1970s for the Association for Science Education by John Murray. Each title covered one or two topics and brought together the best of the teaching notes and experimental ideas...

These activities allow students to model how environmental scientists compare diversity in different ecosystems by using ordinary playing cards as ‘species’ to generate data to calculate Simpson’s Diversity Index. This can be completed in a single lesson. Some students find the concept of species diversity quite...

In this lesson, students will learn about the properties of the different types of meteorites. They will then use this knowledge to make their own edible analogue of a chondrite meteorite to test their understanding. This lesson can be used as a general introduction to meteorites prior to obtaining the loan box....

In this activity, students will learn about the three main types of Earth rocks and make edible analogues to help explain how they form. They will then use the ideas from this activity to investigate and suggest what some of the samples in the meteorite hunters boxes might be.

Curriculum links:

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Aimed at primary learners, this resource aims to develop an understanding of some of the food chains within a woodland habitat. Linked to the topics of animals and all living things, it includes a matching activity, a game and a simulation of a food web. Teacher...

In this resource, produced by OPAL (Open Air Laboratories), children take part in a pond dipping session and then try to identify the different animals they find. A second activity looks at water quality and how the presence of certain species can indicate how clean the water is.

Designed for use in the...

This resource, produced by OPAL (Open Air Laboratories), aims to develop an awareness that there are different kinds of invertebrates in the environment which have different habitat requirements. It links to the topics of minibeasts, habitats and classification and is designed for use outside the classroom when...

Aimed at primary learners, this resource aims to develop an understanding of seed dispersal and the adaptation of bird beaks related to food choice. It is designed for use when visiting a wildlife area and links to the topic areas of plant life-cycles and interdependence and adaptation.

The materials,...

These materials aimed at primary learners explore how our senses can help us to learn about the natural environment. Linked to the topic areas of animals and habitats, they are designed for use when visiting a wildlife area. Most of the activities focus on one sense and...

This resource, produced by OPAL (Open Air Laboratories), aims to develop an understanding that there are different kinds of earthworms in the environment with different habitat requirements. Linked to the topic area of all living things and their habitats, it is designed for use outside the classroom when visiting...