Physics resources for home learning

Whether you're a parent, carer or home school educator, explore a variety of activities and challenges that can be used to support children’s physics education from home.

Activities for 11 to 14 year olds
Activities for 14 to 16 year olds
Activities for 16 to 19 year olds

Resources for ages 11 to 14

Regreen the desert

Explore problems faced by communities living in Sudan due to drought, then design and build their own model of an irrigation system.

Squashed tomato STEM challenge

Farmers in Nepal need to get their tomatoes down a mountainside to sell at market. In this challenge children design and build a model of an aerial ropeway to move tomatoes from a tabletop to the ground.

Are we connected?

Explores engineering through the technology we communicate and connect with.

Light saver

Investigates how properties of light have been used to develop a light-based technique to help monitor the health of babies' brains.

Power up!

Look at different types of energy, the importance of electricity and how it is generated.

Do try this at home

Hands-on activities which link to the topics of electricity, sound, forces, and changes of state.

Quick physics demos

Quick and easy experiments to get you thinking about physics.

Physics podcasts: heating

Do bubbles keep your bath warmer for longer?

Energy Analyst

A video on which power station would be best in the future.

Around the world

Global travel using speed, distance and time.

Misconceptions

Identify physics misconceptions using diagnostic questions.

Make a motor

Build a working electric motor.

Reaction times

Design your own reaction time investigation.

The mystery of the levitating train

Can you use your electromagnetism knowledge to solve this problem?

Resources for ages 14 to 16

Regreen the desert

Explore problems faced by communities living in Sudan due to drought, then design and build their own model of an irrigation system.

Squashed tomato challenge

Quick physics demos

Quick and easy experiments to get you thinking about physics.

Electrostatic tinsel

Watch the video on electrostatics using a balloon and some tinsel. Students can then recreate and work out what is happening with electric charge. You can also use an empty aluminium can.

GPS and trilateration

Notes and experiments to demonstrate GPS. Teacher and student sheets.

Universe and more

An interactive graphing challenge with worksheets.

Energy Analyst

A video on which power station would be best in the future.

Misconceptions

Identify physics misconceptions using diagnostic questions.

Make a motor

Build a working electric motor.

Reaction times

Design your own reaction time investigation.

PhET Electromagnetic Lab

Play with a bar magnet and coils to learn about Faraday's law.

Resources for ages 16 to 19

GPS and trilateration

Notes and experiments to demonstrate GPS. Teacher and student sheets.

Vector resolution

Notes and practice questions on resolving vectors.

Investigating Road traffic accidents

A level ideas on how road traffic collisions are investigated.

PhET Electromagnetic Lab

Play with a bar magnet and coils to learn about Faraday's law.

Gas properties

A PhET simulation on ideal gases to test ideas.