What the packs are
A pack is a set of six activities for one class group, chosen from the free project guides and kids lessons on this site. Each item has an objective, a materials list, an approximate time and a way to check what students learned. They are meant for a term: roughly one activity every two to three weeks, alongside the regular syllabus. You can use them in a project period, a club hour or a weekend workshop.
The links lead to full guides or lessons, so you never have to design the activity from nothing. Adapt freely: swap an item, shorten it or run it as a demonstration.
How to plan a term with a pack
- Read all six items and tick the ones that match chapters you will teach this term.
- Order them so that the first is simple and quick, which builds confidence, and the longest comes in the middle of the term, not near exams.
- Send the materials lists home a week ahead, or collect a school box of common items.
- Mark each activity in the diary or the term plan with the period and the assessment you intend.
- After each activity, note what worked, so that the pack improves every year.
Mixing lessons and projects
Packs for the younger classes lean on short lessons with a "try it at home" activity, because young children learn best through simple, repeated hands-on tasks. Packs for the middle classes mix projects and lessons. Packs for older classes use projects for application and lessons for revision and extension. The lessons come with practice sheets and answer keys, which you can print for homework or use as a quick end-of-activity check.
Large classes and small budgets
If you have forty or more students, work in groups of four to six, with one set of materials per group, and rotate roles. Ask groups to share one model for a demonstration and let the others observe and record. If budget is tight, choose items whose materials are waste or household items: bottles, cardboard, paper, cells. Several of the projects in the packs cost very little, and the guide for each shows the approximate cost.
Assessment in the packs
Each item lists an assessment idea that is quick and fits the activity: an observation checklist, an exit question, a labelled diagram, a short oral explanation or a practice sheet. Use a simple three level scale such as beginning, developing and secure, and record it in a notebook or a class sheet. See our article on assessing projects fairly for a full rubric.
Safety
Read each guide's safety notes beforehand. Keep cutting, hot glue and heat as teacher-only tasks, and use only low-voltage cells. Make sure students wash hands after handling soil, water or plant material, and never taste a project material.
The six packs
Classes 1 and 2
Six short, hands-on lessons about the world around us, with big pictures and household items.
LessonLiving and non-living things
- Objective
- Sort things into living and non-living and give a reason.
- Materials
- Pictures or real objects (stone, leaf, toy, ant), chart paper
- Time
- 30 minutes
- Assessment
- Show five objects and ask each child to point and say one reason.
LessonParts of a plant
- Objective
- Name the root, stem, leaf and flower and say what each does.
- Materials
- A small potted plant, a leaf and a flower, crayons
- Time
- 35 minutes
- Assessment
- Children label a drawn plant and tell a partner one job of the root.
LessonOur five senses
- Objective
- Name the five senses and the body part for each.
- Materials
- A cloth bag with safe objects, a bell, a lemon slice, a flower
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- A matching card activity: sense to body part, with a few teacher questions.
LessonWater all around us
- Objective
- List uses of water and ways to save it.
- Materials
- A bucket, cups, a picture set of water uses
- Time
- 30 minutes
- Assessment
- Each child draws one use of water and one way to save it, and says it aloud.
LessonShapes around us
- Objective
- Recognise circles, squares, triangles and rectangles in the room.
- Materials
- Paper shapes, a shape hunt sheet
- Time
- 30 minutes
- Assessment
- A shape hunt: count and tally the shapes found in the classroom.
LessonColours and mixing
- Objective
- Mix primary colours to make new colours.
- Materials
- Poster colours in three primaries, paper, brushes, water
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Children predict a colour before mixing, then compare and record with a tick or a cross.
Classes 3 to 5
Simple working models and observations that show one idea each, plus a lesson on the water cycle.
Project guideBalloon-powered car
- Objective
- See that a force makes things move and that air pushed out pushes the car forward.
- Materials
- Balloon, straws, bottle caps, skewers, a small cardboard or bottle body, tape
- Time
- Two periods (about 2 hours)
- Assessment
- Measure how far the car goes with different amounts of air and record in a table.
Project guideWeather station: rain gauge and wind vane
- Objective
- Measure rainfall and wind direction and keep a weather log.
- Materials
- Plastic bottle, ruler, straw, pin, cardboard, a compass
- Time
- Two periods, then a week of readings
- Assessment
- A weekly weather chart completed by each group, and one question about the pattern.
Project guideSelf-watering planter from a plastic bottle
- Objective
- Understand how plants take up water through roots and how a wick moves water.
- Materials
- Plastic bottle, cotton cloth or string, soil, seeds, water
- Time
- One period to build, then two weeks of observation
- Assessment
- A plant growth diary with drawings on days 1, 7 and 14.
Project guideMake recycled paper from waste paper
- Objective
- Show how waste can be reused and why recycling saves resources.
- Materials
- Waste paper, water, basin, a mesh frame, cloth, a rolling pin
- Time
- Two periods plus drying time
- Assessment
- Each group explains the steps in order using a sequence chart.
Project guideBristlebot: a toothbrush robot that walks
- Objective
- Explain that vibration can make a simple machine move.
- Materials
- Toothbrush head, small motor with battery, tape, googly eyes
- Time
- One period
- Assessment
- A race with a fair test: which bristlebot design moves farthest, and why?
LessonThe water cycle
- Objective
- Describe evaporation, condensation and rain in order.
- Materials
- A clear bowl, plastic wrap, hot water, ice cubes
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Students arrange four picture cards in order and say what happens at each step.
Classes 6 and 7
Circuits, light, plants and water: investigations with a measurement and a fair test.
LessonSimple electric circuits
- Objective
- Build a closed circuit and identify conductors and insulators.
- Materials
- Torch cell, bulb and holder, wires, switch, coin, rubber, key
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Students draw the circuit with symbols and list five conductors and five insulators.
Project guideCardboard circuit board: series and parallel circuits
- Objective
- Compare series and parallel circuits and predict the brightness of bulbs.
- Materials
- Cardboard, cells, bulbs, foil strips, paper fasteners, wires
- Time
- Two to three periods
- Assessment
- A prediction and result table, plus an explanation of what happens when one bulb is removed.
Project guidePlant maze: do plants grow towards light?
- Objective
- Investigate whether plants grow towards light.
- Materials
- Shoe box with cardboard walls, a seedling in a cup, a light source
- Time
- One period to build, then two weeks of observation
- Assessment
- A daily drawing and a one-paragraph conclusion with evidence.
Project guidePinhole camera (camera obscura)
- Objective
- Show that light travels in straight lines and forms an inverted image.
- Materials
- Cardboard box or tube, black paper, tracing paper, a pin, tape
- Time
- Two periods
- Assessment
- Explain why the image is upside down, with a ray diagram.
Project guideLayered water filter from a plastic bottle
- Objective
- Separate dirt from water by filtration and discuss why filtered water is still not safe to drink.
- Materials
- Plastic bottle, cotton, sand, gravel, charcoal, muddy water
- Time
- Two periods
- Assessment
- Compare water before and after, and write a short note on safe drinking water.
LessonHow plants make food: photosynthesis
- Objective
- Describe how plants make food using light, water and carbon dioxide.
- Materials
- A leaf, a diagram, a practice sheet
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Complete the practice sheet and explain the process aloud to a partner.
Class 8
Energy, magnetism, light and mixtures: projects that link to the NCERT science chapters.
Project guideLemon battery: electricity from fruit
- Objective
- Show that a chemical reaction can produce an electric current.
- Materials
- Lemons, copper and zinc strips or galvanised nails, wires, a small LED or meter
- Time
- Two periods
- Assessment
- Record voltage or brightness with one, two and three lemons and explain the trend.
Project guideElectromagnet crane
- Objective
- See how a current in a coil makes a magnet and how its strength can be changed.
- Materials
- Iron nail, enamelled copper wire, cell, switch, cardboard crane frame, paper clips
- Time
- Three periods
- Assessment
- A table of paper clips lifted against the number of coil turns.
Project guideBox solar cooker from a pizza box
- Objective
- Explain how reflection and trapped heat warm food.
- Materials
- Pizza box, foil, plastic wrap, black paper, a thermometer, a stick
- Time
- Two periods and a sunny hour
- Assessment
- Temperature readings every ten minutes, a line graph and a conclusion.
Project guideHydraulic robotic arm from syringes
- Objective
- Understand that liquids transmit pressure and use it to move an arm.
- Materials
- Syringes, tubing, water, cardboard or ice-cream sticks, tape
- Time
- Three periods
- Assessment
- Show that the arm moves, and explain with a simple diagram how pressure is passed.
LessonLight, shadows and reflection
- Objective
- Explain how shadows form and what changes their size.
- Materials
- Torch, objects, a wall or a screen
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Predict and measure shadow length at three distances.
LessonSeparating mixtures
- Objective
- Choose the right method to separate a mixture.
- Materials
- Sand, salt, iron filings or pins, water, filter paper, a magnet
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Give three mixtures and ask students to name the method and say why.
Class 9
Motion, matter, polynomials and statistics, with one geometry project and one lesson on how the internet works.
Project guidePythagoras theorem: a cardboard puzzle model
- Objective
- Show the Pythagoras theorem by rearranging squares on the sides of a right-angled triangle.
- Materials
- Coloured cardboard, scissors, ruler, glue
- Time
- Two to three periods
- Assessment
- Students explain the proof in their own words and use the theorem on three problems.
LessonNewton's laws of motion
- Objective
- Apply the three laws to everyday examples.
- Materials
- A trolley or a toy car, a ball, a book, a string
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Assessment
- Match five daily situations to the right law, with a reason.
LessonAcids, bases and salts
- Objective
- Classify common substances using natural indicators.
- Materials
- Red cabbage or turmeric solution, lemon, soap, baking soda, vinegar
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Assessment
- A table of substances with the colour change observed and the classification.
LessonPolynomials and factorisation
- Objective
- Factorise simple polynomials and check by expanding.
- Materials
- Practice sheet, square tiles for area models
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Assessment
- Five factorisation problems from the practice sheet, marked with the answer key.
LessonMean, median and mode
- Objective
- Find and compare mean, median and mode from real class data.
- Materials
- Class data such as shoe size or height, chart paper
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Assessment
- Students collect data in groups, compute the three measures and explain which fits best.
LessonHow the internet works
- Objective
- Describe how a message travels from one device to another.
- Materials
- Index cards for roles: sender, router, server, receiver
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- A role-play in which groups trace a request, followed by three short questions.
Classes 10 to 12
Energy, coding and algebra for the senior school, plus two lessons on staying safe and well.
Project guideMini wind turbine that lights an LED
- Objective
- Turn wind energy into electricity and measure how blade design changes the output.
- Materials
- Small DC motor, blades from plastic or card, an LED, a stand, a multimeter if available
- Time
- Three to four periods
- Assessment
- A results table and a one-page report comparing two blade designs.
Project guideBuild a science quiz game in Python
- Objective
- Write a program with variables, lists, loops and conditions.
- Materials
- A computer with Python installed, a text editor
- Time
- Three periods
- Assessment
- Run the quiz, review the code with a checklist, and ask students to add one new feature.
LessonQuadratic equations
- Objective
- Solve quadratic equations by factorisation and by the formula.
- Materials
- Practice sheet, graph paper for parabolas
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Assessment
- Eight problems from the practice sheet and one real-life word problem.
LessonArithmetic progressions
- Objective
- Find the nth term and the sum of an arithmetic progression.
- Materials
- Practice sheet, a pattern of matchsticks or tiles
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Assessment
- Students create their own AP from a daily situation and find the 20th term.
LessonPasswords, encryption basics and two-factor
- Objective
- Explain how strong passwords and two-factor sign-in protect accounts.
- Materials
- Index cards, a short password checklist
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Students rate five passwords with a checklist and rewrite the weakest.
LessonSleep, stress and wellbeing
- Objective
- Describe how sleep and stress affect study and plan a healthy exam routine.
- Materials
- A weekly planner sheet
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Assessment
- Each student writes a five-point plan for the exam month and shares one idea.
Free material mentioned in this article
This is general guidance only, not medical, psychological or legal advice. For a health or learning concern, speak to a doctor, a qualified professional or your school. Childline 1098 helps children who need care and protection; the national cyber crime helpline is 1930.