All courses · activities for ages 5–10
Biology Together
Thirty short activities a parent or teacher can run with children aged 5 to 10, using cheap things from around the house. The page is for the grown-up; the child does the activity away from the screen. Each one gives the big idea in plain words, the steps, questions that get a child to predict before they look, what children often think and how to answer, safety notes, an easier and a harder version, and an observation sheet to print. They follow the life science strand of Virginia’s kindergarten to grade 4 science standards, and each links one step up to the matching grade 7 Life Science lesson where there is one.
8 units · 30 lessons
Unit 1 · Alive and growing
- Unit 1: Alive and growing Alive or Not?✓ done Is a seed alive? Is a car? A sorting game helps a child find out what living things do.
- Unit 1: Alive and growing Wake Up a Seed✓ done Is a dry bean alive, or is it just a little stone? Two bags and a damp paper towel let a child find out.
- Unit 1: Alive and growing Like Their Parents, Not the Same✓ done Are all the peas in a pod the same? A ruler and a few vegetables help a child find out how offspring compare.
Unit 2 · Our senses
- Unit 2: Our senses The Mystery Feely Bag✓ done Can you tell what something is without looking? A bag of hidden objects lets a child find out what skin can sense.
- Unit 2: Our senses Smell Detectives✓ done Why does food taste so dull when you have a cold? Smell cups and a pinched-nose test help a child find out.
- Unit 2: Our senses The Listening Walk✓ done How many sounds are there in a quiet backyard? Two still minutes and a sound map help a child find out.
Unit 3 · What plants need and how they work
- Unit 3: What plants need and how they work What Do Plants Need?✓ done Does a plant really need sunlight if it already has water? Four cups and a cupboard give a fair answer.
- Unit 3: What plants need and how they work Plant Parts We Eat✓ done Which part of a plant is a carrot, and what does that part do? A grocery sort onto a drawn plant shows where each food came from and what its part does.
- Unit 3: What plants need and how they work Thirsty Celery✓ done How does water get from the bottom of a plant to the top? Coloured water and a celery stalk make the path visible.
- Unit 3: What plants need and how they work Leaf Detectives✓ done How can you tell an oak from a maple without a label? A pile of fallen leaves and a few yes-or-no questions can do it.
Unit 4 · Flowers, seeds and life cycles
- Unit 4: Flowers, seeds and life cycles Take a Flower Apart✓ done What is a flower for? Taking one apart, piece by piece, shows a child where seeds begin.
- Unit 4: Flowers, seeds and life cycles From Bean to Bean✓ done Where do new beans come from? Growing one plant from seed to seed shows the whole circle.
- Unit 4: Flowers, seeds and life cycles Seeds on the Move✓ done How does a plant that can’t walk get its seeds to new places? A sock walk catches some in the act.
- Unit 4: Flowers, seeds and life cycles Mealworms to Beetles✓ done Is a mealworm a worm? Raising a few shows a child what it turns into.
Unit 5 · Animal bodies, homes and adaptations
- Unit 5: Animal bodies, homes and adaptations Fur, Feathers and Scales✓ done Why does a bird have feathers and a fish have scales? Feeling the real thing helps a child find out.
- Unit 5: Animal bodies, homes and adaptations Beak Buffet✓ done Why don't all birds have the same beak? A timed kitchen-tool buffet lets a child find out.
- Unit 5: Animal bodies, homes and adaptations The Blubber Glove✓ done How does a seal stay warm in icy water with only short hair? A shortening-filled mitten lets a child feel the answer.
- Unit 5: Animal bodies, homes and adaptations The Camouflage Hunt✓ done Why are so many animals brown or green? A hungry-bird game lets a child find out which colours stay hidden.
- Unit 5: Animal bodies, homes and adaptations Backyard Habitat Hunt✓ done Is anything living in a patch of plain grass? A string square and ten minutes of close looking answer that.
- Unit 5: Animal bodies, homes and adaptations Make a Fossil Print✓ done How do we know what lived here before people? Making fossil prints shows how a shell or a footprint can be saved in rock.
Unit 6 · Food chains, soil and decomposers
- Unit 6: Food chains, soil and decomposers Who Eats Whom?✓ done Why does a hawk need grass? Picture cards and a ball of yarn show how the food in a meadow and in the Bay connects.
- Unit 6: Food chains, soil and decomposers Rot Detectives✓ done Where does a rotten apple go? Sealed jars let a child watch decomposers at work without opening a lid.
- Unit 6: Food chains, soil and decomposers Soil Shake✓ done Is dirt just dirt? Shake some soil in a jar of water and watch it sort itself into layers.
- Unit 6: Food chains, soil and decomposers What Do Earthworms Like?✓ done Do earthworms care where they crawl? A tray with two sides lets a child ask the worms.
Unit 7 · Seasons and living things
- Unit 7: Seasons and living things Adopt a Tree✓ done Does a bare tree die in winter? One tree, visited every month for a year, answers the question.
- Unit 7: Seasons and living things Sleep, Travel or Stay?✓ done Where do hummingbirds go in winter, and why does a cardinal stay? A sorting game and a window watch find out.
- Unit 7: Seasons and living things Hidden Leaf Colors✓ done Where does the yellow in a fall leaf come from? A coffee filter shows that it was there all along.
Unit 8 · Virginia and Chesapeake nature
- Unit 8: Virginia and Chesapeake nature A Watershed in a Pan✓ done Where does rain go after it lands on our street? A paper landscape and a spray bottle show the way downhill.
- Unit 8: Virginia and Chesapeake nature Roots Hold the Soil✓ done Why does a muddy stream run brown after a storm? Two trays of soil and a watering can show where the mud comes from.
- Unit 8: Virginia and Chesapeake nature Creek Critters✓ done Is a creek just water? A strainer, a white tray and a few turned rocks show what lives in it.