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No water today – with a puppet

In this lesson, students consider what would happen if there was no water. They explore how our actions can either waste water or save water.

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How much rain?

In this lesson sequence, students participate in a puzzle hunt in the school grounds to find letter clues that lead to the location of a special gift (a rain gauge) related to water. Students then make rain gauges and record rainfall in the school grounds with both the hand-made and commercial rain gauges.

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What can water do?

In this lesson, students participate in four tasks to develop an understanding of the properties of water, specifically how water changes when warmed or cooled.

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Water is precious

In this activity, students are introduced to the concepts of everyday water use and water conservation. They discover the importance of water through story and discussion.

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Indigenous Astronomy and the Solar System

In this classroom activity, students will come to understand some of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander names of the planets, their movement across the sky, and the concepts of ecliptic, zodiac, and retrograde motion. They will focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander observations of these things and discuss ...

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Pendulums

This activity invites students to explore the phenomena of pendulums and investigate the question, 'What happens to the swing speed of your pendulum when you change one of the variables?' Students test one variable at a time to figure-out the effect of length, weight, and release point on how long it takes the pendulum ...

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Inverse-square law

This activity invites students to explore why the world gets dark so fast outside the circle of the campfire. Using simple equipment, students can investigate the inverse square relationship for light spreading out over an area. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, what to ...

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Personal Pinhole Theater

This activity invites students to build a pinhole camera using a large cardboard box and simple materials. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions for further activities.

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Melting Ice and Rising Seas

This activity invites students to investigate how melting ice is a factor contributing to sea level rise. They explore whether the location of melting ice on Earth affects the way sea level rise occurs by making a model of seas, ice and continents. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, what to do ...

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Ice Balloons

This activity invites students to experiment with a frozen water balloon and learn about water chemistry, phase changes, and density. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions for further activities.

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Falling for Gravity

This activity invites students to calculate the acceleration of gravity using simple materials, a cell phone, and a computer to record, watch, and analyze the motion of a dropped object. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying ...

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Secret Bells

This activity invites students to make a sound system with a coat hanger and a string, producing musical sounds that only they can hear. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions ...

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Designer Ears

This activity invites students to design and make 'better' ears for themselves using card. They explore how their ears relate to different shaped ears for different animals and how the structure is related to their function. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, what to do ...

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Flower Dissection

This activity invites students to dissect a flower to explore the form and function of plant reproductive structures. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions for further activities.

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Tiny Theaters

This activity invites students to tell stories inside cardboard boxes using craft materials and light. Turn on and off LEDs using a homemade switch and a circuit made with copper tape. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, inspiration and ideas, and encourages a tinkering mindset.

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Whimsical Whirligigs

This activity invites students to design and make Whimsical Whirligigs, kinetic contraptions that can be powered by wind, crank, or motor. Students can create wind-powered paper creatures or machines with moving parts. A The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, inspiration and ...

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DTiF in conversation with Save the Bilby Fund – Background information on the Save the Bilby Fund

Kevin Bradley, CEO of Save the Bilby Fund, and Cassandra Arkinstall, a researcher and volunteer at Save the Bilby Fund, explain why the bilby is an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and how their decline impacts other wildlife. This video gives an overview of what the Save the Bilby Fund does as they work ...

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Identifying Minerals - Determining Density

This short video demonstrates how to determine the density of a mineral sample. The video explains how to calculate density, then shows students how accurately measure the mass and volume of a mineral sample.

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Understanding the National Earthquake Alerts Centre

This video introduces the National Earthquake Alerts Centre. The video explains that earthquakes are detected by a network of seismometers; each station sends seismic information for analysis and checking by seismologists on duty. The video describes the types of wave forms in earthquakes and the sequence of events in ...

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The Geology of Minecraft

This short video discusses bedrock, obsidian and redstone using real rock samples and references to the Minecraft game.