This project aimed to assess the impact of online citizen science (OCS) participation on the science education of primary school children in New Zealand. Four exploratory cases were used to examine the nature and impact of embedding OCS projects that use web-based online tools within primary classroom environments. Findings provide key insights into primary teachers' perception of OCS. They offer initial insights into how teachers embed OCS in a classroom environment, and why this improves science learning aptitudes, inquisitiveness, and capabilities in primary school children. They also show how successfully embedding OCS projects in education is affected by the project context, human computer interaction (HCI), and dissemination of results, among other factors. Recommendations are made for further research that provides comprehensive coverage beyond this exploratory study.