Important update from TheSchoolRun
For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.
What this means for subscribers:
- Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
- In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
- As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.
A few changes to be aware of:
- The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
- The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.
*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.
Fun STEM activities for World Environment Day 2024
Learning about environmental issues can be tough for kids to grasp, but hands-on activities like the ones below make it easier and more engaging. These activities are powerful tools to help the younger generation understand and think about how to become responsible world citizens.
Let's get started with some activities that you can easily do at home with things you probably already have. These projects are a great way to teach kids about recycling, sustainability and taking care of our environment.
1. Water clocks
What you need:
- Paper cup
- Plastic bottle lid (from a milk bottle or similar)
- String or wool
- Small bell
- Toothpick
- Glass jar
- Lollypop stick
- Scissors
How to do it:
- Use the toothpick or scissors to make a small hole in the center of the paper cup base and the plastic bottle lid.
- Measure the string to the length of the cup and add a bit extra for tying.
- Thread the string through the plastic bottle lid, tie a large knot at the top to keep it from falling through, and attach the bell to the other end.
- Place the paper cup on top of a glass jar (to collect water). Balance the lollypop stick across the cup's mouth.
- Fill the cup with water, place the plastic bottle lid in the water so it floats and balance the bell on the lollypop stick.
- Start the timer! When the water runs out, the lid sinks, and the bell falls— time’s up!
- Try experimenting with different hole sizes and liquids such as milk and oil to see how it changes the timing. Predict how long it will take and then see how close you are.
2. Cleaning polluted water experiment
What you need:
- 2 glass jars
- Paper cup
- Dirty water
- 4 coffee filters
- Sand
- Gravel
How to do it:
- Talk about where water comes from and how it’s cleaned.
- Collect a dirty water sample from a local pond or river.
- Make a small hole in the bottom of the paper cup and line it with coffee filters.
- Add a layer of gravel to the filters, followed by a layer of sand.
- Place the cup inside the top of the second jar.
- Pour the dirty water into the cup and observe as clean water trickles into the second jar.
- Experiment with different materials to see what cleans the water best!
3. Creating sea cleaning contraptions
What you need:
- Computer or tablet with internet
- Plain paper
- Drawing and colouring pencils
How to do it:
- Look up age-appropriate images and articles about water pollution.
- Discuss the problems and brainstorm solutions.
- Design a contraption to help remove plastic from the sea.
- Label your design and write a short description of how it works.
4. Bath bombs
What you need:
- 250g bicarbonate of soda
- 50g citric acid
- 2 tablespoons of water
- Child-friendly essential oils (optional)
- Bath bomb moulds
How to do it:
- Mix the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid in a bowl. Add essential oils if using.
- Slowly add water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix to form a clump.
- Fill the mould, then gently remove the bath bomb once it’s shaped.
- Let it air dry for 24 hours.
- Estimate how long it will take the bath bombs to stop fizzing in the bath.
- Add small sea animal toys to the centre of the bath bomb such as endangered sea life and devise a plan to save them faster.
5. Recycled bottle plant pots
What you need:
- 1-litre plastic bottle
- Various paints (glass paint works best)
- Pen and marker
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Warm soapy water
How to do it:
- Clean the bottle using warm soapy water and remove any labels.
- Measure 15cm from the bottom and draw a line around the bottle. Draw any additional shapes like ears if you want to create an animal design.
- Cut along your outline and add drainage holes.
- Paint the bottle and let it dry properly between coats (two coats work best).
- Fill with compost and plant seeds, then watch them grow!
Image of flower pots: QuestFriendz
These activities were created by Dr. Thomas Bernard and Lisa Moss, co-authors of the SuperQuesters series published by QuestFriendz. These books include themes of recycling, water pollution, and sustainability and are designed to support the National Curriculum for KS1.
For more STEM activities and resources, check out QuestFriendz.
