STEMM activities & learning at home

We’ve rounded up some of the best science home schooling activities from our partners, patrons and contributors. The online activities cover a wide range of STEMM at home activities and learning.

Please note that inclusion does not indicate endorsement by either Norwich Science Festival or The Forum.

• Follow the Twitter hashtag #ScienceFromHome for ideas, demos and more from science communicators around the world
• Check out Norwich Games Festival’s blog for STEM activity ideas for online coding and game-making courses for different ages
• View our patron Lizzie Daly’s Live videos, featuring 100 of the most inspiring scientists, conservationists, organisations, wildlife filmmakers. Subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/lizziedalywildlifetv
• NSF patron Prof Ben Garrod has a wealth of books and programmes available, including Secrets of Skin, Baby Chimp Rescue, Which Animal Has The Strongest Bite? (with Lizzie Daly), and for older children BBC Earth tiger dissection, and The Power of One on the parallels between the animal kingdom and human behaviour
• Check out some home experiments from NSF patron Mark Thompson, as well as his science activity books such as Science for Exploring Outer Space, and join in with #FamilyStargazeWithMark – check his Twitter feed for details of the next one
• Microsoft MakeCode are live-streaming #microbit coding lessons each day – check out makecode.com/blog/online-learning for the timetable
• Science-writer, author and Guardian zoology correspondent Jules Howard has made his PalaeoLab educational app free during the COVID-19 UK outbreak period. There’s lots of information on dinosaurs and fossil science and it fits alongside the KS2 and KS3 science curriculum. You can download it for free here http://juleshoward.co.uk
• Wellcome Genome Campus Public Engagement has lots of activities, interactives, videos and downloadable resources at https://yourgenome.org for a variety of ages
• Watch the Royal Society of Chemistry‘s series Chemistry In Your Cupboard, including building a rocket and making ice cream, on their YouTube channel
• Developing Experts provide home education KS1, KS2 and KS3 science resources and online lesson plans. Over the next few months, parents can get 75% off their award-winning science resources, and access their complete science curriculum for ages 4–14 for just £15 using code C75 at www.developingexperts.com/parents-and-home-education
• Skype A Scientist – over 800 scientists have signed up for Skype A Scientist since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Skype a Scientist matches up your family with a scientist from your chosen field for a Q&A
• Norwich Mumbler have a suggested daily schedule and activities
• Follow Mad Science Norfolk on Instagram for regular activities and inspirational science
• UEA Events on Twitter have been sharing their #NorwichSciFest activity cards with ideas for younger kids to do
• Glasgow Science Centre released daily science activity videos on Twitter, as well as a weekly magazine, mainly for 5–11 year olds
• Each Friday, Kids Invent Stuff will email out 5 things to do at home – sign up to their mailing list http://eepurl.com/ggrcwf
• Kate On Conservation has a KS2 Amazon adventure lesson plan, where children prepare for their trek and learn about jungle habitat, geography and climate
• Joe Harkness has a KS3/4 lesson plan on mental health and nature watching. 
• Hoveton Broad have compiled nature-related resources including colouring-in and fact sheets
• Watch the best of Let’s Go Live with Maddie Moate and Greg Foot – a run of 50 YouTube shows with science and nature-based games, makes, cameras and fun for all the family (KS1/2, 4-11)
• Catch up with Steve Backshall’s weekly YouTube wild world Q&A home school class
• Join Ginny Smith‘s virtual science club for 7-11 yr olds. This pay-what-you can scheme has 6 weekly packages of videos, try-it-at-home worksheets and Q & A sessions, exploring your brain and sense
• Talita (formerly of ZSL London Zoo) has shared some amazing animal colouring-in sheets via Dropbox
• The Woodland Trust’s ideas for nature activities at home or in the garden
• ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure have shared a brand new free downloadable activity book – create your own dino mask, spot the difference and puzzles, the story of Roarr! and colouring and dino facts

Other online resources:

• BBC Bitesize – for primary, secondary and post 16+
• STEM Learning – a large range of primary, secondary and A-level resources
• Raspberry Pi coding
• Scratch coding
• Tynker coding
• Futurum – secondary and college level STEMM activity sheets
• Twinkl – primary and secondary resources. Twinkl are now offering free access to help prepare and continue education. Enter UKTWINKLHELPS on http://twinkl.co.uk/l/llrv3 to begin your free access.
• Engineering Activity Zone – from HM Government and packed full of challenges and projects to get kids thinking and building like engineers
• BrainPop – US based but has a wealth of subjects

YouTube Channels:

• Maddie Moate – the host of the BAFTA nominated CBeebies TV series Maddie’s Do You Know?, Maddie explores animals, plants, travel and technology. Also all on Maddie’s own website
• SciShow Kids – explores all those curious topics that make us ask “why?”
• National Geographic Kids – Nat Geo Kids makes it fun to explore your world with weird, wild, and wacky videos
• Science Max – a series that turbocharges all the science experiments you’ve done at home
• Geek Gurl Diaries – for all those who love Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Python, programming, computer science, logic and electronics
• Sci Show – the presenters delve into the scientific subjects that defy our expectations and make us even more curious
• Mike Likes Science – science inspired music videos

Resources to order:

• Learning Resources – hands-on educational games, toys and learning resources
• Whizz Pop Bang – award-winning science magazine that brings science to life for children aged 6–12
• Paper engineering projects from www.robives.com