free lesson ideas

Maths – Probability

Even if we don’t recognise it, many of the decisions we make each day are based on probability. Subconsciously, we often question the decisions we make on probability in order to ‘improve’ our chances, sometimes beneficially, at other times not. Activity One – Daily Decisions (suitable for Years… Read More

Science – Science Week and Scientific Enquiry

Dedicated weeks in the school year are invaluable for focusing our minds on key subjects and British Science Week, this year celebrated from the 11th to the 20th March, is no exception. The temptation is simply to focus on the many activities that have been formulated by… Read More

Bloody Mary: Did she deserve her reputation?

This teaching activity is about reputations, what they are, how we can acquire one and how we can change or lose one. The 18th February marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of Mary I, the lesser known daughter of Henry VIII and sister of Elizabeth I. History today remembers her by… Read More

Maths Countdowns

Countdowns are fun, nerve-wracking and prepare us for something exciting that will happen when we get to zero. In this series of activities we look at countdowns, which, at this time of year includes the countdown to Christmas, most often denoted in the chocolate advent calendar. Read More

Christmas and the Environment

Christmas time with thoughts of turkey dinners and Christmas presents rarely provides an opportunity for us to think of the environment but in these two activities, we can get children thinking about the other cost of Christmas and maybe think about how they can do something about it. Read More

National Tree Week

National Tree Week gives us the opportunity to celebrate one of the stalwarts of the English outdoors; the tree. We may think that it simply provides a feature in the landscape or shade or shelter but there's a whole lot more to trees that this set of activities will help your pupils discover. Read More

World Science Day and World Space Week

This month we celebrate two important events in science; World Science Day and World Space Week. On World Science Day, we’ll consider the advances made in recent years in science and think about what scientists may succeed at next. We’ll also look at how science has helped… Read More

KS1 Enrichment Games

In KS1 it’s imperative that we put maths into a practical perspective. Giving little ones maths in written form is too abstract and detaches them from the understanding of using maths in the real world. There are many ways to enrich KS1 maths with games and here we… Read More

English – The Battle of Waterloo

© BBC Two hundred years ago in a field ten miles south of Brussels in Belgium, the decisive battle of the Waterloo Campaign took place between the French under Napoleon and the British led coalition under the Duke of Wellington and Blucher. It is arguably the best known battle… Read More

Sundials

When it shines, we’re all aware of the passage of the sun and the shadows it creates. This activity allows the pupils to investigate shadows created by the sun and to use them to tell the time. There’s added extension in this activity as the pupils find that the ‘clock’… Read More