In school, at home, for lockdown, in bubbles and in between!

I first collated this comprehensive list of activities, websites and resources for teaching and learning in primary science (and more) during the start of lockdown in March 2020. It’s been updated and has grown since then. I’m making some improvements to my website – which will still include a useful repository of resources – and I wanted to ensure the list was maintained in its current format for reference as I know its been well used, and well received, by teachers and parents alike.

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***updated for lockdown 2021 and beyond***

Even with all pupils returning to school, these resources will continue to help teachers with planning, teaching, learning and assessment, as well as keen parents and children at home.

I’ve collated a list of useful websites and resources for primary science activities, for parents to use with children whilst self isolating/social distancing/supporting schooling at home during the coronavirus situation, and also for teachers providing content in schools and online (scroll down to the bottom for planning links and resources for teachers too).

Dr Jo Science resources

Follow me on social media where I post lots of ideas, shared a weekly science challenge for Lockdown 3.0 (2021), seasonal advent science (24) activities, and I posted 121 daily science activities in the first lockdown in 2020.

• Facebook.com/DrJoScience
• Twitter.com/DrJoScience
• instagram.com/DrJoScience

There are also lots of kitchen science investigation ideas in this Dr Jo Guest Blog post I wrote for a home education community during British Science week.

Online Science Club

I’m running a digital online science club! Weekly videos and bumper investigation activity packs direct to your inbox.

Virtual and real life Dr Jo Science workshops

I also deliver online and in-person curriculum-relevant, fun and engaging, hands-on science workshops.

The links below are mostly science-related but there are a few cross-curricular and other ideas in there too. 

Useful websites

• STEM Learning remote lessons include videos, activities and worksheets (and live Q&A chats with subject experts in lockdown 2020). Some of the lessons were made by Dr Jo!
• BBC Bitesize has lots of educational resources and videos on many topics
  • BBC Bitesize have launched special lessons for homeschooling (lockdown 2020)
• BBC Teach Live lessons (lockdown 2020)
• BBC are streaming education content on CBBC, Cbeebies and BBC2 for lockdown 2021
• The Oak National Academy online lessons
• Science Sparks (including loads of challenges and periodic table of experiments)
• The Imagination Tree (craft and creative play ideas, including my favourite fab play dough recipe!)
• Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) resources for home learning 
• ReachOut Reporter – topical news stories
• Topical Science Updates
• Great Science Share – a community of science sharing for schools – sign up now for the event in June
• Science Museum activities to do
• The Royal Institution activities
• Maths learning resources for home from White Rose
• nrich Maths
• 1001 Inventions resources
• Find out about real life scientists with Research Champions
• The Royal Society of Chemistry have excellent (and cross curricular) resources, including lots for Primary teachers.
• Great Science Share for Schools went virtual in 2020 and have a whole host of resources

Activities and things to do

• British Science Association CREST awards (Stars for 5-7, Superstars for 7-11)
• Explorify – Wellcome Trust online activities to make you think! (Dr Jo is an Explorify Champion so just ask if you have any questions)
• Great Bug Hunt
• RSPB Bird watch (Big Schools BirdWatch and Big Garden Bird Watch) and wild challenges
• Nature Detectives – special school closure activities from The Woodland Trust
• Kew Gardens Learning at home resources
• RHS Gardening activities
• Cambridge University Botanic Gardens downloadable resources for families
• Wildlife Trust activities for families
• Bug life activities for schools
• Practical Action Schools – investigations to get your teeth into linked to the Global Sustainable Development Goals (older children)
• National trust 50 Things to do before you’re 11 3/4
• The Scouts The Great Indoors activities
• Wallace And Gromit Cracking Ideas – have a go at inventing
• Starters for STEM 10 minute activities from STEM Learning
• NASA kids club
• AstroScience Challenge launches 27th April
• ExpeRImental from The Royal Institution 
• Train like an Astronaut – PE and science activities
• Institute of Physics (IOP) Marvin and Milo STEM cartoon activities
• Ogden Trust Physics Home Learning
• Have a go at coding
• Science with Minecraft
• Experiments At Home (NZ science kids site)
• The Met Office DIY activities and experiments 
• Lockdown Learning from Eat Farm Now
• Science and Engineering challenge cards from Dyson
• Climate science, biodiversity and citizen science resources from WWF
• SEN friendly science resources from Dr Sarah Bearchell
• Online drawing course from very basic up (observational drawing also important in science!)
• Talk for Writing have created brilliant Home School booklets, including some with science linked activities created by Dr Jo!
• Five minute field trips – useful list of quick nature activities to do with minimal resources and preparation

Virtual tours etc

• Virtual museum tours list
• more museum tours, collated by the fabulous Family Days Tried and Tested – follow them for loads of creative ideas for children
• The Natural History Museum has a homework club!
• Glasgow Science Centre are doing a daily post at 10am daily #gscathome (lockdown 2020)
• Follow the hashtags #MuseumFromHome and #ScienceFromHome on twitter as there are oodles of posts going up with activities and exhibits
• Global Science Show a monthly event on twitter @GlobalSciShow with multiple scientists, young and old, posting short videos in succession starting in Sydney and including UK, America, EU, India and Australia
• Skype A Scientist
• #FaceTimeAFarmer #FarmerTime
• The University of Cambridge online Astronomy
• Live streams from zoos (lockdown 2020)

TV programmes and online games

Either on Freeview, watch again or YouTube

• David Attenborough documentaries – go back to the beginning for classic and nostalgic natural history programmes
• Operation Ouch!
• NumberBlocks
• National Geographic Kids
• How It’s Made
• The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
• Educational YouTube channels (compiled by Paul Tyler)
• Yoga and mindfulness from Cosmic Kids on YouTube
• The Kids should See This – smart videos for curious minds
• TedED
• WowScience have collated a list of online science games
• Virgin Media have collated a list of Educational TV programmes, many of which are free to view on UK terrestrial TV

Daily stuff

• Joe Wicks PE follow hashtag #PEwithJoe – he’s at it again for lockdown 2021!
• Writing (science needs good communication too!) #TheWriteStuff in lockdown 2020 and 2021
• Glasgow Science Centre posted daily #gscathome in lockdown 2020
• Let’s Go Live with @maddiemoat and @gregfoot – #LetsGoLive is back for lockdown 2021
• Dr Chips Daily Science and Engineering lessons on YouTube in lockdown 2020
• Taskmaster challenges – follow hashtag #HomeTasking or follow @taskmaster or @AlexHorne on twitter in lockdown 2020

Magazines, books and things to buy

• Whizz Pop Bang! (including resources for teachers) 
• The Week Science and Nature
• How it Works (older children)
• The Curiosity Box – curriculum linked science and engineering kits
• Plantlet Culture – buy test tubes to grow seeds
• The Amazing cross curricular Aquila magazine, and now free online access to their learning resources
• Here’s a great list of books to inspire young scientists
• And more books for science

Other lists of resources and things to do

• Association for Science Education (ASE) list of resources
• ASE community resource packs
• The Countryside Classroom
• Wow Science list of primary science activities
• Cambridgeshire’s Learn Together home learning resources
• 18 Crafts for children including make a cardboard dome
• Engineering ideas for children (credit Lindsey Nelson)
• Chatterpack list of resources
• Home Discussion Questions from That Science Lady
• 100 Ways To Play from Boston Children’s Museum
• Great Science Share Padlet resources list 
• Carole Kenrick’s list of resources for science at home
• University of Manchester’s SEERIH list of resources
• Lancashire Science Festival online experiments 
• Glasgow Science Festival activity pack
• NorwichScience Festival list of STEMM activities for home
• Council for Learning Outside The Classroom list of activities
• British Ecological Society lockdown learning list
• the University of Leeds Be Curious padlet
• Activities on vision
• Wellcome Genome Campus WGC resources
• Experiments at home from ScienceKids (NZ)
• Gardening for Biodiversity
• get involved with some citizen science research
• Photography challenge (@paulagarrieson):

• 30 day Lego challenge (source unknown):

Coronavirus resources

• The Curiosity Box has curated some resources for children on coronavirus, including explanations, Q&A and help for worried children
• Twinkl have made a Dr Dog story book explaining coronavirus and the importance of staying home and washing your hands to help everyone stay safe
• Playmobil have made a video explaining what its all about and why we’re staying inside – including looking down a microscope!
• There’s also a section on The Week Junior Science and Nature website
• Collins Snap Science Covid resource to help talk about coronavirus
• Virus colouring book
• MRC University of Glasgow Centre for Virus research educational resources
• Viruses and vaccines educational resources, including origami from Royal College of Pathology
• Fight the pandemic board game

Stuff for free

• Mary Anning Fossil hunter e-book (limited time only)
• Neil Gaiman free stuff for children
• Principles of design free downloads for children of all ages
• There are lots of educational companies offering free resources during the coronavirus school shutdown, here’s a list
• TTS (educational supplies) are offering these free downloadable activity booklets
• Carol Vorderman’s The Maths Factor is now free for parents during school closures
• 5 day First Aid challenge
• Diamond Light Source science board game
• The Royal Microscopical Society loan out class microscope kits
• You can Borrow The Moon!

Teachers – planning resources

Some great go-to places for setting work for both in-school and at home provision (do also look above for even more ideas):

• STEM Learning remote lessons (some of them made by Dr Jo!)
• ASE coronavirus hub planning for home-school learning
• Oak National Academy lessons
• If you’re using Oak lessons, then this document from PSEC mapping them is fabulous!
• BBC Teach, BBC Bitesize, CBBC and Cbeebies (BBC2 for secondary)
• Starters for Science from PSTT – short introductory videos plus easy to resource practical enquiry
• Science for One from PSTT – easy to resource investigations ideal for individual children
• Science Fun at Home from PSTT 
• Developing Experts – 700 free lesson plans and investigations for schools
• CLEAPSS resources for home learning and partially open schools
• Starters for STEM from STEM Learning
• CIEC IndusTRY at home
• Explorify – Wellcome Trust online activities to make you think! They have made some activities available direct for home learning (Dr Jo is an Explorify Champion so just ask if you have any questions)
• Primary Careers tool from NU STEM
• Addressing misconceptions – from EEF
• Great Science Share for Schools – sign up now for exclusive free CPD and resources and weekly themes and suggested activities between now and the big event in June! Dr Jo is a Regional Champion for The East of England
• 121 Lockdown Daily Science Activities plus 24 Festive Science Activities from Dr Jo Science (which are also accredited for Children’s University) and Weekly Science Challenges for Lockdown 3.0 (2021)
• Dr Jo Kitchen Science activities

This list is by no means exhaustive (and apologies if I’ve left any fabulous ones out), but I think that’s enough to be getting on with! Have lots of fun – make it memorable, experience-led and not too worksheet or screen heavy! We’ve done it before, we can do it again! I can’t take responsibility for content of external sites. You are responsible for your own and your children’s safety. 

Stay safe – and wash your hands!