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Hot Activities
Ladybird, Ladybird, where is your home? - view this activity Looking for Ladybirds - view this activity British Bluebells - view this activity

Ladybird, Ladybird, where is your home?

2B Plants and animals in the local environment
In recent decades many species of insects, including ladybirds, have been shown to be in decline. There is considerable concern because many ...

Looking for Ladybirds

4B Habitats
In recent decades many species of insects, including ladybirds, have been shown to be in decline. There is considerable concern because many ...

British Bluebells

5_6H Enquiry in environmental and technological co
Scientists at the Natural History Museum are worried that our native British species of bluebell is under threat by breeding with the cultivat...

     
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What is Primary upd8?  

Activities for 5-11 year olds which use topical events to create uniquely engaging science lessons.

Why Subscribe?
  • Make learning memorable and achieve better SATs results
  • UPD8s support literacy and numeracy and make great assembly material
  • They cover all 5-11 science topics and QCA units
  • They’re designed to take advantage of your interactive whiteboard
  • Make the science curriculum more relevant and exciting
  • Make teaching 'scientific enquiry' skills more compelling and accessible
Darwin 200 free activities

As part of the Darwin 200 celebrations, ASE's Primary upd8 team has been working with The Open University's Evolution Megalab to provide free activities for school pupils.

KS1 5-7

Snail Hunt

KS2 7-11

Snail Space

Snail Hunt

This activity introduces pupils to Darwin's ideas on evolution by looking at variation, adaptation and distribution of banded snails. In this activity children use the correct vocabulary to describe habitats and different banded snails. Pupils take part in practical science, collecting snails and collating data and are shown how information that they collect relates to, and can be included on, the EvolutionMegalab website. www.evolutionmegalab.org

Snail Space

In this activity children will use the correct vocabulary to describe habitats and different banded snails (Cepaea snails - pronounced 'see-pee-ah'). Pupils take part in practical science, collecting snails and collating data and are shown how this information relates to, and can be included on, the EvolutionMegalab website www.evolutionmegalab.org which encourages children to accurately record their snail finds on a giant database to find out if and how the snail population is changing.

The Bedford Borough `On the Snail Trail' project. Winner of the European Language Label Award 2011, Spanish Language Prize and the Eurotalk Primary Education Language Prize. http://www.linksintolanguages.ac.uk/resources/2528

Jan Lewandowski
Consultant for Languages and International Learning
Bedford Borough
Tel: 01234 831687

FREE Activities - Ricky Goes to the Antarctic

Ricky the puppet has been invited to join a FUCHS Foundation expedition to the Antarctic with his teacher Lisa Wood. Ricky is the first puppet to go to Antarctica and Lisa is the first primary teacher to be chosen. These FREE Primary upd8 activities are part of a project relating to this adventure.

KS1 5-7

Ricky's backpack

KS2 7-11

Ricky's shelter

Ricky's Backpack

In this activity children will help Ricky decide which materials will be good to keep him warm, dry and comfortable and what he needs to take with him to eat and drink to keep him alive and well. This activity is particularly useful for APP (Assessing Pupils' Progress in primary science) AF (Assessment Focus) AF1 (Thinking scientifically) and AF3 (Communicating and collaborating in science). Children can communicate their ideas to Ricky via his blog http://antarcticapuppet.primaryblogger.co.uk

Click here to try  -   Download Teacher Notes

Ricky's Shelter

In this activity children will investigate materials and make reasoned choices, depending on the properties, to build a shelter for Ricky. They then compare this with materials they might choose to make shelters for different environments. This activity is particularly useful for APP (Assessing Pupils' Progress in primary science) AF (Assessment Focus) AF2 (Understanding the applications and implications of science) and AF4 (Using investigative approaches).

Click here to try  -   Download Teacher Notes

Christmas Lights Christmas Lights Spreading Swine Flu Spreading Swine Flu

Topic: 4F Circuits and conductors

Every town has a special celebration when the Christmas town tree lights are turned on and maybe also beautiful lights through the streets. Imagine if the switch was flicked. and nothing happened?

In this activity children will investigate electrical circuits and consider how a safe and reliable circuit, that works, can be made.

Click here to try  -   Download Teacher Notes

Topic: 6B Micro-organisms

This is a FREE activity. The spread of swine flu is increasing and it is estimated that 1 in 3 of the population will catch it with the under 14s being the most vulnerable.

In this activity children will learn about swine flu and its symptoms. They will look at how viruses spread and consider how they can be contained.

Click here to try  -   Download Teacher Notes