60 Second
Science
Quick science activities for young people. Love it! Animated Science
There are animations, photos, videos, and forums all aimed
at (mainly) secondary school science. The author is a
practicing teacher and the site was originally intended for the use
of his pupils. The animations are designed to be suitable for use in
the classroom or at home on PC or multimedia projector. They span
various topics such as electricity, radioactivity, waves, forces,
rocks, bonding and earth sciences. There is also a large collection
of photos which are intended for educational use. Association for
Science Education
Useful. There are some excellent resources and ideas for SEN (follow
the links to SEN CD Rom).
AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust
A useful collection of CPD materials in the teachers' section.
BBC Science Clips
Loads of interactive activities for primary children. Excellent. Brainpop
Science
Information and activities for children on a wide range (more than
150)
of science topics. This excellent
resource contains all sorts of child-friendly things and lots of
ideas for things to do. Unfortunately, there's now charge for
what they used to give for free - except for a few samples. It is
quite expensive but membership gives access to similar collections
for Technology, English, Maths, Art & Music, Social Studies and
Health. There is also a support section for teachers. The pages have rather a lot of graphics to load and can be a little slow
if you don't have a broadband connection but
worth waiting for. Brantacan
This site is obviously produced by an enthusiast. There is an excellent section about
Bridges, as well as sections about Colours, Nature's Maths, Physics, Snakes, Sound and
Water. There is a link from the water pages to a fascinating section about Spiders' Webs.
The site looks at the science and maths in these topics but shows an awareness of the
artistic dimension, too. This is well worth a look. BA The
British Association for
the Advancement of Science
The premier organisation promoting the cause and advancement of
science.
Channel
4 Science pages
More than just information about their programmes, this site has
links to lots of useful things. The
Constants and Equations Page
This is really useful. Do you want to know the mass of the Earth, its volume or the
time of sunrise in Kabul on January 18th? Do you know how many gallons there are in a dry
pint? Do you know what a slug or G-pound is and how many Kg it is equal to? This site has
over 4500 pages of information about scientific, mathematical or astronomical constants
and equations.
Online Converter
Convert almost any quantity to its equivalents Dataloggerama
Roger Frost, Science teaching guru tells you all you need to know
about datalogging - what hardware and software you could use, how to
use it, ideas for projects and much more besides. Enchanted
Learning
American site specifically designed to be easily negotiable for children. Covers a great
deal of biology, but has an extensive dictionary and encyclopaedia. Many, many printouts
of living things. Arts and crafts. Continually updated, almost day-by-day. Quickly
responsive to requests from teachers for specific materials. Designed and run by Jeananda
Col, who says, "Our mission is to produce the best educational material, emphasizing
creativity and the pure enjoyment of learning." This is an excellent website, well
worth a visit. ExamCentre
Examcentre is aimed at 16-18 yearolds who are studying for science exams and at their
teachers. There are forums where students can discuss their subjects and ask questions and
a forum for teachers, too. There are also over 300 articles on scientific topics, written
by experts. Sadly, the team who run this site have recently had to introduce a moderate
membership fee for access to the articles (£10 p a) in order to maintain the sites
ability to provide a high quality service. Probably well worth it if you, or your students
are that stage of things. Exploratorium The Museum of Science, Arts and Human Perception. This is a well
structured, attractive, child-friendly site with lots of interesting
and esoteric stuff about science - try Searching for
Extremophiles in Kamchatka, Accidental Science in the Kitchen,
Weather in Outer Space and much more... Goalfinder
This site, based in India, has a large number of science animations,
covering a wide variety of topics. The people behind this site are
committed to the idea of curiosity as a driving force in learning
about science. Most of the animations are members only and must be
paid for, but there is a selection of shorter ones that are
downloadable for free. Heroes of
Science and Technology
Lots of information on Richard Arkwright the Cotton King. Also info on the inventors of
steel and the toilet, plus four other lesser known inventors. Need to subscribe to access
the whole A to Z of inventors. This one is the work of Adam
Hart-Davis in his more serious mode.
(We'll have to forgive him his inability to spell
Heros!) How Stuff Works
The name says it all. A huge collection of interesting stuff - car engines, combination
locks, food, the immune system - readable and informative explanations of everyday
technology and natural processes. You could get stuck here for years! (You'll have to put
up with the advertising, though). Inside Out
This is the education website of the Royal Institution and,
therefore, well worth looking at. Mad
Sci Network
A collection of scientists / researchers / lecturers will answer any
questions on a scientific subject that are posted to them. Or read
previously posted answers (There's a rather odd random selection
page). No
excuses now for not knowing the answers. This is a pretty strange
site but brimming with interest. Ontario Science Centre
Online Science Zone
Lots of really interesting fun things to do. Kids will love it - and
it's educational. Preschool Science An American site
offering lots of information and ideas for preschool science activities. Primary Resources for Science
Part of the larger Primary Resources Website. Has worksheets, lesson plans etc. for nine
science activities in its science section. Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab
A collection of free activities and links for parents, teachers and
children of all ages. Looks like fun. School Science
A collection of resources and links. The site run by the Association
for Science Education (ASE). Science
Active
A useful collection of science stuff for KS3, KS4 and beyond.
Includes information for students and downloadable files (mainly
PowerPoint presentations).
Science Boot Camp
Especially of interest to Year 6 children and
teachers. This is a 4-week online revision course
linked to past science SATs. There is a link to
download any (or all) past SAT papers back to 2003
and links to online interactives from around the
web. Complete the course and you will have done all
the past papers! Someone has done a lot of work to
set this up and it will be really useful to those
who are into revising for Science SATs. Science Explorer Look no further - science experiments galore!
Science Interactives from Utah Education Network
Lots of links to interactive Flash movies on a wide variety of topics. (You can
also find interactives for other ages and subjects
by tracking back to 3-6 Home and then using the
options at the bottom of the page). Sci-Journal
An award winning on-line journal where children can publish the results of their own
investigations and read about the scientific studies of other young people. They say: All
the articles we publish have been produced by students, often as part of classes in school
or college work. Are you looking for ideas about practical work, science labs,
science investigations, practical science, or even Sc1's and POAE's? Do you get
involved in science fairs, technology fairs, science competitions, laboratory work,
science fieldwork or science hypothesis testing? Have you got something interesting
to tell other people about some science work you've done?
Sadly, the journal is no longer publishing new
articles, but the existing ones are still there. The Science
Learning Network
SLN explain themselves thus: The Science Learning Network (SLN) is an online community
of educators, students, schools, science museums and other institutions demonstrating a
new model for inquiry science education. The site has links to the member museums
(including our own Science Museum, London) and a superb collection of resource links.
Science Made Fun
Here's a great idea. Lots of science podcasts (some
audio, some video). Science
Museum, London
Clicking on this link takes you to The National Museum of Science and Industry. You can
reach three museums via this link. The Science Museum has information about exhibitions and collections
in the museum, visitor information, movies and sound about Renaissance engineers, a look
inside Apollo 10 and the chance to build a rocket online. The National Museum of
Photography, Film and Television has information about the museum, visitor
information, and information about photography. Chance to Make your own television
programme. The
National Railway Museum has information about exhibitions and collections in the
museum, visitor information, story of the railway, railway posters and photographic
exhibition.
Sheffield College Science Weblinks
A useful collection of links Spolem.co.uk
This is a really slick links list, concentrating on scientific topics and including links
for KS2 up to A Level. Lots of useful links. Teaching Ideas for Primary
Science
Resources for 9 different science activities are currently available. Suitable for Key
Stages 1 and 2.
Time and Date
All sorts of information and calculations about
time, time zones, dates, calendars etc.
Animals
Explore, Discover, Connect Courtesy of Seaworld / Busch Gardens this website has online
information books about a wide range of animals
(mostly mammals), animal related topics (eg
Endangered Species, Tropical Forests), a library of
animal sounds and lots more) ARKive
A huge collection of photographs and videos of named animal species. There are
two sections: one of endangered species, the other of British
species. Excellent! Bagheera The website for endangered species. Lots of information.
British Wild Flowers
Photos (masses of them) of British wild flowers. You
can look them up alphabetically or by searching for
particular flowers. There may be only one or many
photos of the plant you choose.Where possible,photos
show flower, leaf, stem, whole plant etc. etc. British Wildlife Guide
An
online encyclopedia of British wildlife, from
Wildlife Britain. Basic facts about a wide range of animals
and plants.
Cells & Heredity
A links list with lots of links to stuff about cells and
heredity. Well worth a look.
Zoom Dinosaurs
Lots of info about dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs for kids Want to memorize
dinosaurs? This
fun and interactive
tool will give you an easy headstart. ...
Games, activities, and
other fun and
educational tools.
Learning about ancient life should be fun.
Dinosaur Games
... characters knew a
dinosaur was
approaching, because the ground shook with every
step the animals
took
Dragonfly TV
An American science project. Their website has fun
activities, science information, interactive games
and lots of clips from their science education TV
programs. Well worth exploring.
EcoKids
Great Canadian site for kids. Lots of Flash activities that are both
educational and fun. Euro Turtle
Conservation and biology of the Mediterranean sea turtles. Grassland
Explorer
These two sites are all part of a much larger site called Nature Explorer. It is
attractive and easy to navigate. They are designed to support Key Stage 2/3 Life and
Living Processes. Also available on the Nature Explorer site are "Pond
Explorer", "Kingfisher Trail", "Sunrise Trail", Woodland
Explorer and "Infant Explorer" (a literacy site for Key Stage 1). Very
useful! (PS Spot the spelling mistake on the shield bug page!) The
Great Plant Escape
An interactive site all about plants. Kids will enjoy this one, it's
fun and informative Marwell
Zoological Park Marwell Zoo's website. Mostly about the zoo, which has an active
education department. Natural
History Museum
Yes - That big place in South Kensington. Galleries, interactive features
including a flesh-eating beetle webcam! Loads of info on the natural world. Nature Grid
This is the website of Kent LA's
Canterbury Environmental Education
Centre. It's a great place! As well as lots of information about
the Broadoak Nature Reserve in Canterbury, of wider interest is the
curriculum area, with links to pages about how the site can help
with National Curriculum studies. Best of all are the Virtual tours
in the Nature Explorers section. There are sections about ponds,
woodlands, grasslands, rivers. There is also a part for infants and
more... RSPB Find out all about birds in their youth pages. Secret Garden
This is an great site that shows you the natural world of flowers from a different angle
- x-rays. See the beauty of flowers as you have never seen it before.
Switcheroo Zoo
This is weird, but kids will love it. Make your own hybrid animals
and find out about the animals that you have used parts of while
you do it. There's lots more, too. Treasures@Sea
A host of differentiated activities and information about the sea and animals in general.
An excellent resource for classroom use. Water An excellent American site with
lots of ways to investigate water.
Combat pollution and clean up a virtual oil spill. Follow the toilet flush to learn about
sewage and recycling, or create your own miniature water cycle.
Wildlife and Wetlands Trust
Pages for teachers, factfiles (Useful for KS2 and
KS3 projects/ homework) and a kids' zone with
opnline games and activities. World
Wildlife Fund A great site for animal and conservation information.
EarthGuide
An interactive and easy-to-use educational resource about Earth,
oceans and the environment. Animations, teaching ideas, information,
news and much more. Evergreen
Project Adventures
Environmental education site from the Missouri
Botanical Garden. Useful, interesting and
simple. There are teachers pages and children's activities and information focusing on
biomes of the world, freshwater and marine ecosystems. (There are also adverts for
products to purchase). Garbage This is one item from a package of "teacher resources and
professional development" produced by the American
organisation Annenberg Media. Although it
looks at the issues around garbage disposal in the
USA it could also be useful to UK teachers. There
are links to other "interactives" as they call them
near the top of the page. Ocean Planet Discover all about the
oceans and seas of the world.
Topics include pollution, sea surprises, and biodiversity. Suitable for use in the KS 2
classroom for geography or sea related themes. There are also numerous links to
educational resources and activities. (This is presented
as an archival version of the script of "Ocean
Planet," a 1995 Smithsonian Institution travelling
exhibition which is no longer on display. The
content reflects the state of knowledge at the time
of the exhibition, and has not been updated). Recycle City A great place to find out about environmental issues.
The Woodland Trust
There's lots of good stuff for children here,
especially in the "Learning is Fun" section.
The Grand Canyon Explorer
Have you heard about the amazing names geologists have given the layers of rock in the
Grand Canyon? Do you know where the layers of rock came from, and how the Grand Canyon was
formed? If you're curious, here's a place to start! Great site but the front page is huge
and takes ages to download. Volcano World
The place to go for the latest news on volcanic eruptions. Volcanoes A great site for information on rocks and our earth. This is
another of Annenberg Media's sections.
5 Great Auditory Illusions
An interesting article from New Scientist magazine
with links to examples. BodyQuest
Anatomy - aimed at 11-16 year olds. This is a ThinkQuest site and
well worth a look. Come To Your Senses
Explore the five senses with the help of Mr Potato Head! This site is ideally suited
to older Key Stage 2 pupils. It is packed with information, activities and pictures and
will provide a useful resource as part of a human body science topic. Constipation Concentration
Warning! This site contains rude noises. Match the sounds to discover the science behind
these involuntary human responses. Key Stage 2 pupils will find this a hilarious addition
to science topics on the human body. This is just one of the games
in the
Ontario Science Centre's Games Zone. Eat 5 A Day
A useful little site which extols the virtues of eating a healthy diet
(Shame about the song!). You can discover
facts about all kinds of fruit and the site is dotted with fruity characters who talk to
you and tell you about themselves. Linked from this site is the
Fruit and
Vegetable Encyclopedia which has masses of information about nutritional values,
growing and harvesting, recipes and lots more.
EyeTricks
A great collection of optical illusions, but lots of ads, too. Optical Illusions
Lots of illusions. A fun
resource for KS2 groups studying the workings of the eye or brain. Optical Illusions@Bristol
A good collection of illusions with explanations. Sandlot
Science
A great site for optical illusions. masses of examples and
explanations. Skull
Discover the secrets of the human skull. While the text may be too detailed for use
with KS2 pupils, they will certainly enjoy the Quick Time movies and could easily navigate
their way around the skull. An interesting and informative resource for biology students. The
Tress Test
Experience this strange auditory illusion, and discover the 'verbal
transformation effect'. What words can your pupils hear? An
interesting experiment for Key Stage 2 pupils studying the senses or
the human body in science. ThinkQuest
Lots of online science websites created by students
as part of the ThinkQuest program run by Oracle.
(The quality varies, of course, but there is lots of
excellent stuff here). Your Gross and Cool Body Discover the sights and sounds of the human body at this site where biological facts
and illustrations are presented in an amusing and informative manner. You can explore
bodily functions (e.g. spit, snot, or ear wax) or select a body system for further
explanations and descriptions. Key Stage 2 pupils will enjoy this fun classroom resource. Yuckiest Site on
the Internet Especially for young scientists interested in the body and
insects. This one really
appeals to kids. As well as telling all about the stuff they are most interested in (ie poo,
pee, burps, farts, hiccoughs etc.) it also has sections about
Roaches (cockroaches) and Worms.
Bug Club The Bug Club the junior section of
the Amateur Entymologists Society and is a club devoted to young people and the
"Young at heart" who find insects and other creepy crawlies interesting and even
fascinating. BugScope
This is a great site if you want to look at pictures of bugs taken
with a scanning electron microscope. The Bugscope project provides
schools with the opportunity to send in their own specimens and
examine them, operating the SEM remotely. The images are then added
to their database for anyone to browse. Bugscope is based at the
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the
University of Illinois. There is also a section of the site
explaining the scanning electron microscope. The Bumblebee Pages
If you want to know something about bumblebees, then this is the
place for you. Quality scientific information presented in a
friendly and readable way. The pages are well illustrated, too. Beltsville
Electron Microscopy Unit
Another American site with some fascinating electron microscope
images.
MicroAngela
Explore familiar and unexpected
views of the microscopic world with these colorized images from
electron microscopes. Insects, moulds, cells, sea creatures. Most
are serious scientifically useful images, but beware
a few are
jokes! (They are pretty easy to spot)
Microbes.Info
If you want to find out more about bacteria, viruses, fungi or
anything else in the world of microbiology then this comprehensive
and well organised links collection is a great starting place. It
will probably be of most use to those studying at A level or higher,
but there is plenty for lower level study too, especially in the FAQ
section. The
Scanning Electron Microscope
Breathtaking pictures of small things blown up to huge sizes. Most
belong in the Living World section but some are
inanimate objects. You'll never touch a mascara
brush again once you've seen what it looks like close up. There is
alos a section about how the SEM works.
Yucky Roach World
Roach is what Americans call a cockroach. This
is great resource for studying minibeasts. There are suggested activities for both KS1and
KS2 at the ‘Teacher Center’ (qv). Yuckiest Site on
the Internet Especially for young scientists interested in the body and
insects. This one really
appeals to kids. As well as telling all about the stuff they are most interested in (ie poo,
pee, burps, farts, hiccoughs etc.) it also has sections about
Roaches (cockroaches) and Worms.
1001 Periodic Table Quiz
Questions
Free downloadable (mainly) chemistry quizzes for ages 8 - 18.Worth looking at.Atoms Family An introduction to some of the basic principles of physics. Topics include
kinetic and potential energy, atoms and matter, light and electricity. This fun and
informative site contains animated illustrations and simple experiments which can be used
for science lessons across the Key Stages.
Cavalcade O' Chemistry
"I've put a bunch of free stuff on the internet for chemistry
teachers. It's all free, and there's no annoying sales pitch for
anything. After all, I'm a regular classroom teacher like
yourselves," says Mr Guch.
ChemSketch
A useful freeware download for A level chemistry - for producing
equipment diagrams.
Engineering Interact
Although it sounds like it should be on the DT page, this is
actually a science site (from Cambridge University). There are
interactive games and teaching modules , closely tied to the
requirements of the UK National Curriculum. It's A
Breeze: How Air Pressure Affects You Key Stage 2 pupils will find this
a useful site to enhance work in science on air pressure. Find out why ears pop, how much
pressure we are under and why we don't collapse.
Learning Circuits
An interactive site about basic electrical circuits.
Colourful and quite fun. Met.Office
Find out all you ever needed to know about the weather.
Little Shop of Physics - Stuff to Try
Colorado State University's Little Shop of Physics website is devoted to
science education. Click the link for Online Experiments - Kids will
love them. Have fun and learn some useful science at the same time! The
Particle Adventure
The Particle Adventure is an award-winning site that allows you to explore the world of
fundamental particles and forces and then to investigate the experimental evidence and
techniques. Lots of cartoons and trivia questions to keep you interested. School Science
This one is a growing resource. Interactive pages suited to KS4 and beyond. Tick VG! The
Interactive Periodic Table is superb. You roll the mouse over the element and a
panel pops up giving you such information as physical data, discoverer and date and lots
lots more.
Water Rocket Construction students construct a simple bottle rocket
from two-liter soft drink bottles and other
materials. The rocket is powered by air pressure and
water.
NASA water rockets There are many different types of model rockets. One of the
first and simplest type of rocket that a student
encounters is the bottle, or
water rocket.
... Water
Science for Schools
Exactly what it says - enjoy!
BNSC - The British
National Space Centre
Click on the Learning Zone area. There you will find information and
activities for both younger and older students. Well presented and
informative this is a welcome addition to the plethora of
space-related websites. Major sections of the text are downloadable
as Word documents or PDF files and they are developing a teacher
support area. Constellations and their Stars
Lots of information about and lists of constellations and stars. Also photos, interactive
star charts, links etc. Earth and Moon viewer
A definite must for work on the Earth in Space! View a map of the Earth showing day and
night regions right at this moment, as seen from the sun, the moon, or a satellite. Or
view the moon from above named locations. There is also a link to an interactive orrery. NASA Website
An excellent site. Everything you every wanted to know about spaceflight, past and
present. Lots of photographs, pictures, animations, videos and audio clips. National Space
Science Centre
This is the UK's Space Science Centre (What do you mean, you didn't
know we had one?) Find out more ... Nine Planets
This website is an
overview of the history, mythology, and current
scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other
objects in our solar system. Each page has our text
and NASA's images, some have sounds and movies, most
provide references to additional related
information.
Orbitiser
An interactive orrery with information about the
planets. (from the Royal Institution's website) Space Lots of information about the planet Mars and linked activities. You can lead a
virtual expedition to the Martian surface and get instructions to make a model of the Sun
- Earth - Moon system. Space Place
Younger children will LOVE this site, packed with all sorts of interesting activities
about space and astronomy from NASA. Get out your sticky tape and scissors and prepare for
some fun! Very slow to download initially. StarChild
An excellent site for youngsters with a real interest in astronomy. Its pages are written
on two levels - level one aimed at the primary age range and Level 2 at secondary. Don't
miss it! Understanding the Universe
Part of Discovery Channel's website. Tour the Universe, explore
awesome ideas about time and space, find out about famous space
scientists (and not so famous ones, too) Views of the Solar System
Learn all about the Sun's planets and trace the history of man's conquest of space. Windows to the Universe
Lots of information about the Earth and the universe. The site contains interactive
literacy games, puzzles, and colouring book plus an extensive range of classroom
activities for teachers. An exciting resource for Space topic work from KS2 onwards. Your Weight on
Other Worlds
Does just what it says on the packet! Work out what you would weigh on Mars, or Venus, or
Jupiter, or..... You can click on the pictures of the planets and get to the pages of The
Nine Planets
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