By Solar Spark, this activity explores the relationship between light scattering and colour through anodising. This is the electrochemical process used to thicken the protective oxide layer found on several metals. Aluminium is the most common metal treated in this way, but others, including titanium can also be...

This resource provides a set of videos and a practical investigation aimed at supporting experimental science in the classroom and relating it to real world experiences. In the first video Professor Brian Cox joins a teacher to find out how to set up and run an investigation to find out the time it takes for...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Much of the energy consumption in the modern world relies on the use of oil, coal or natural gas, and these fossil fuels are non-renewable. Some people believe that biofuels, made from...

Those two simple, inexpensive, practical activities, from the Association for Science Education (ASE) explore cultivating glowing bacteria and the phenomenon of one species turning a bright purple.

The glow is caused by luminous bacteria commonly found on rotting seafood. Ghostly glowing fish like this...

This resource, from the Association for Science Education (ASE), contains a number of recipes for making fermented soft drinks and some suggestions about how students could explore the science involved in making them.

The predecessors of modern carbonated drinks were often made at home or on a small scale....

Six groups of practical activities produced by the Institute of Physics (IOP), for students to explore key concepts of electricity and magnetism.

Accompanied by the Teachers' and technicians' guide for both the...

With this resource, students develop observation skills by investigating the phenomenon of ‘mate-guarding’ in brine shrimp. Following a teacher-led discussion, students generate hypotheses. For example, one of the hypotheses may be that larger females pair with larger males.

These may be tested...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Building materials and construction methods provide an interesting context in which students can develop their understanding of basic ideas...

Chameleon bubbles are formed when a sodium alginate solution is dropped into a calcium chloride solution.  The bubbles are filled by an acid‐base indicator solution; so, adding the beads to acids or bases leads to colour changes inside the bubbles by diffusion and pH change. Students can learn about acids, bases,...

The chemical garden is a well‐established experiment from the chemistry of salts, solubility, diffusion, and solutions. The nice thing is that if metal salts are put in sodium water glass solution, it can lead to an effect reminiscent of plants growing. This growing process can be observed and analysed. In the end...

A balance is set up with two pieces of iron wool. One piece is set alight: it appears to be getting smaller but, mysteriously, the balance tips the other way.

Curriculum links include chemical...

From Solar Spark, this activity allows students to see how chlorophyll can be energised and how this causes it to fluoresce. Chlorophyll in plant leaves absorb red light and pass the energy on to other parts of the plant, hence leaves look green. But if there is nowhere for the energy to go, it gets released as...

Two translucent liquids are mixed. At first, nothing happens: the resulting solution is still translucent. Suddenly, with no warning, the solution turns blue-black all at once.

Curriculum links include redox reactions, rate of reaction, kinetics

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). It is based on two specially developed resources produced by SEP: the Optical Signal Transmission Set and the Analogue/Digital Transmission...

In this activity, students plan an investigation to compare two clinical thermometers or two blood pressure devises.   They will need to investigate:

• the key features needed by a clinical thermometer or blood pressure monitor. The generic features required by physiological measuring devices are...