Light and Shadows
Why does my shadow follow me, and why is it so long in the morning? Young scientists chase their shadows, track the Sun across the day and test which things let light through.
Australia · Year 1
Year 1 science
Everything we have for Year 1 science: lessons, free tools.
Lessons
Plants and Seeds: What Does a Seed Need?
What's hiding inside a bean, and what does it need to wake up and grow? Young scientists open soaked seeds, sprout beans in bags and watch seedlings bend to find the light.
Sound: Can You See a Sound?
Can you see a sound? Young scientists make rice dance on a drum, talk through a string telephone and build a rubber-band guitar to find out that every sound starts with something shaking.
Weather Watchers: What Will the Sky Do Today?
Is it sunny, windy or wet today, and how can we tell? Young scientists keep a class weather chart for two weeks, build wind socks to catch the wind and make a rain gauge from a bottle to measure the rain.
Test It, Choose It: Materials
What is a spoon made of, and why isn't it made of paper? Children sort objects by material, test which materials keep the rain out and which keep the sun off, and choose the right material for a job. Kitchen, stationery and recycling-bin materials, no weather needed.
Like Parent, Like Baby? Traits and Families
Why does a grey cygnet grow into a white swan, why are puppies in one litter different colours, and why does a bean plant grown in the dark come up tall and yellow? Three lessons with nothing to buy: students match drawn family cards, make a living bar graph of pea cards beside Gregor Mendel's real counts, and walk a case-file trail of plants and animals changed by where they live.
Who Eats What? Food Chains and Helpers
What does a rabbit need, and what does a sunflower need? Children sort picture cards by what living things need, build food chains on the floor from the sun to a fox, and play bees carrying pollen between paper flowers. Everything prints: no materials to buy.
Free tools
Three full lessons, free
Make a free account and download any three Fieldbook lessons as printable PDFs. No card needed.