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…

In this article, Helen Spring explains how a 'wow' activity is a great place to start learning outside the classroom. It will enthuse both children and staff. Teachers new to outdoor learning can start with something simple like having students use double-sided sticky tape to collect as many colours as they can from the school grounds. Then look…

The complexity of scientific concepts requires contextual knowledge that is often beyond the experience of young children. As someone new to the teaching profession, Georgie Orme sought out ways to make science more relevant and meaningful to children's lives. This article outlines an action research project that explored how she could use stories…

As part of the celebration of Manchester being the European City of Science 2016, schools across the City were invited to take part in a Citizen-Engineering project, which set out a quest to make a recycled robot orchestra. It is a unique project, which is an experiment itself--to bring people together to create, collaborate and care for the…

As a student teacher at Nottingham Trent University, the author explored the issues surrounding children asking investigable questions in science and the repertoire of strategies that could be employed by teachers in the classroom to support this process. His project was carried out in an inner-city primary school in Nottingham. The four focus…