In the kitchen, the children can investigate how materials change when they are combined during a cooking activity working with a parent or older sibling. Around the house, children can identify and classify examples of different materials and how their properties match different functions. They can make collections of materials to match specific properties and suggest what might happen if a specific material was used for an alternative purpose.

Gardens
You can utilise a garden area to help the children develop their knowledge and understanding of living things and their habitats. If the children don’t have access to a garden then they can perform the practical activities working in a local park with adult supervision. The children can identify, describe and classify animals that visit a garden by their characteristics such as mammals, birds, insects and amphibians. They can suggest reasons as to why specific living things can be found in different habitats in the garden such as on the grass or under a flower pot. The children can write reports explaining why each animal might want to choose to visit and live in the garden. They can also investigate plants that might be growing in the garden by planting and nurturing some seeds. The children can also explore parts of a flowering plant that are used during reproduction and the role played by insects. They can make collections of seeds that are dispersed from different plants.

Kitchens
Working with a parent or an older sibling can help the children investigate some of the physical and chemical changes to foods when they are combined or cooked into a meal. The children can explore changes that are reversible such as when melting and then hardening chocolate and changes that are irreversible such as when toasting bread. Help the children investigate what happens when cooking foods using different variables for testing such as the length of time in the oven, amount of ingredients and kneading time such as when baking bread. The children can identify and describe different categories of food that can be use when preparing and cooking healthy meals. They can create and share recipes with other families to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Materials
Working in science from home, allows the children to investigate the properties of different materials used in the construction of a house and the objects used by the family. Get them to make collections of materials around the house to match different properties such as materials that are transparent and opaque and materials that are stiff or flexible. The children can explain why certain materials have been used for specific functions such as steel used for cutlery or cotton used for bedding. They can describe what might happen if the wrong materials were used that don’t match the correct function such as using cardboard instead of wood for a floor. The children can make models of different objects around the house using a range of junk materials which can then be labelled with the correct materials.

Toys and Games
The children can use toys and games that they have at home to explore ideas related to forces. They can identify toys that might contain magnets. The children can explore what happens when different magnets are placed together to make attraction and repelling forces. They can also investigate some of the other forces that are used to move different toys. The children can compare how different toys move across a range of surfaces in the home when investigating the force of friction. They can also investigate how forces are created when toys are spun in different directions and what happens to materials under the force of gravity.

Investigations
One of the best ways of developing the children’s practical and investigate science skills is by setting them some open ended investigations through which they can demonstrate their understanding of different concepts and ideas. Set the children some simple questions such as which surfaces in the home provide the greatest grip or how many different types of insects visit the garden. The children can make a plan of their test which can be shared with a parent or older sibling so the process can be checked for safety. Encourage the children to then work independently to perform the selected investigations before sharing the results with their family in an oral or written presentation. Help them produce reports for encyclopedias explaining their findings for different investigations conducted whilst at home.