Spring Science Adventures: Explore Nature's Wonders with Our Exciting Outdoor Learning Products!
As we turn the corner from Winter to Spring, it’s fun to look for things outside combined with activities for children to make and create, to help celebrate the arrival of Spring!
Spring is a time of great change. The world around us is exploding with new smells, colours and sounds. Every day in spring there is more to discover and see.
Using the resources from our Science Range, here are a few ideas for Reception and KS1 to help search for signs of Spring.
Go for a nature walk.
What do you see?
- Trees budding and flowering. Discuss the life cycle of a tree through the seasons, as well as giving an understanding of creatures who make a tree their home i.e. Birds building nests,
- Spring flowers blooming in gardens and fields (crocuses, tulips, daffodils, snowdrops, buttercups). Discuss why does this happen in Spring? Why not discuss this new growth with your pupils? Plants need water, light, warmth and soil or compost to grow. The showery weather gives them the water they need. The longer days mean they have more daylight and warmth from the Sun which raises the temperature of both air and soil. In addition, last year’s fallen leaves have decomposed into the soil, adding much-needed nutrients.
Leaves help plants to make the most of the extra sunlight, using ‘photosynthesis’ to get the nutrients they need from carbon dioxide and water. Blossom helps early flowering trees, especially fruit trees, to pollinate by providing an early source of food for insects like bees.
Look at parts of the flower using the Giant Magnifier or Handy Magnifiers in stand
Compare different flowers.
Why not ask your pupils to create posters showing what plants grow in the spring?
- The sun rising early and setting later every day. Create a chart to monitor the times each day. What is the time difference for each day? Perhaps record daily temperatures, to show the rise in temperature throughout Spring using the pupils measures boards, or chalkboard on a roll
- Butterflies flying from flower to flower. Suggest using the Peephole Bug Viewers.
- Frogs and tadpoles. Frogs are a real sign of Spring, searching for tadpoles is a great activity for children to do. Remind children that frogs are sensitive to being touched by people; they are to be looked at only. Explain about the Life Cycle of a frog.
Activity: Pond dipping. All you need is in our Pond Dipping Kit.
Teach children how to move the nets in a figure of eight so as to be gentle to the wildlife.
Fill the container about 1/3 to 1/2 way full with pond water. Carefully but quickly scoop the net out of the pond and place it in the container that you filled with pond water. Gently turn the net inside out into the tray or Giant Magnifying pot and let the water settle. Don’t forget to return pond minibeasts back into the pond! They won’t live for very long if they are in the container for a lengthy period of time. A great way to view mini beasts in detail is using a Powerscope as it has 30x magnification!
For under water viewing, use the Aquascope.
What do you hear?
Busy bees collecting nectar. Birds singing and calling to each other. Midges and flies buzzing around. Lambs bleating in the fields.
What do you smell?
The fresh damp scent of rain an earthy scent coming from the ground. Freshly cut grass.
The soft, sweet scent of flowers and blossoms.
Weather Station
There are some great spring activities focusing on weather. It’s a perfect time of year to set up a mini weather station at school, because we still have some wintery weather alongside hours of sunshine. Use the Indoor/Outdoor Mural Chalkboard.
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