Celebrate Christmas with Developing Experts

The festive season is a great opportunity to integrate Christmas-themed activities into science lessons. On our platform, you can find two fantastic lesson plans tailored to EYFS, KS1 and KS2 students, combining fun and festive activities with scientific inquiry to explore key curriculum objectives. Head to the Christmas folder in Topical Lessons to find the lessons, and read on to find out what we have on offer. 

EYFS & KS1: Snowman Fingerprints and Sinking Satsumas

This lesson plan blends creativity and science to introduce pupils to concepts of materials, states of matter and seasonal changes.

1. What’s Involved?

1. Snowman Fingerprints: Children create playdough snowman imprints, learning about textures and the creative process. They mix flour, salt and water to form dough, press their handprints into it and bake their creations before painting them. This hands-on activity enhances fine motor skills and introduces the idea of how materials can change state when heated.
2. Sinking Satsumas Experiment: Using a peeled and unpeeled orange, the children predict and observe which one will float or sink in water. This simple yet engaging activity encourages them to think about density and buoyancy, linking to their understanding of floating and sinking.

2. Key Benefits

• Encourages children to make observations and predictions.
• Prompts creativity through craft-based learning.
• Links science to the natural world with discussions about snow and seasonal changes.

3. Assessment Opportunities

Ask the children to reflect on what they enjoyed most, make new predictions (e.g., “Will a banana sink or float?”), or extend the activity for KS1 by discussing fair testing methods.

KS2: Streamlined Sleighs, Snowflakes, and Biscuits

For KS2 pupils, this lesson combines engineering, material science and a dash of culinary creativity. It’s an ideal way to explore physical processes and properties of materials.

1. What’s Involved?

1. Stained Glass Biscuits: The pupils create stunning edible ornaments by making biscuits with boiled sweet centres. While crafting, they learn about changes in states of matter (e.g., melting and cooling) and reversible changes.
2. Paper Snowflakes: Pupils design intricate snowflakes, exploring symmetry and patterns. This activity integrates art and science while inspiring discussions about the natural beauty and geometry of snowflakes.
3. Streamlined Sleigh Design: Combining engineering with festive fun, pupils design Santa’s sleigh, considering air resistance, water resistance and friction. This activity invites pupils to think about sustainability by incorporating environmentally friendly technologies into their designs.

2. Key Benefits

• Promotes creativity and teamwork.
• Develops understanding of key physical processes like resistance and reversible changes.
• Encourages problem-solving through real-world applications (e.g., designing sustainable sleighs).

3. Assessment Opportunities

End the session by challenging the pupils to describe their sleigh designs and explain how they made them efficient. For a cross-curricular twist, the pupils can write persuasive pitches to ‘Santa’, showcasing their ideas.

DE’s Christmas lessons are designed to meet National Curriculum objectives while keeping pupils engaged. For EYFS and KS1, the focus is on observing changes and understanding textures, while KS2 learners delve into scientific concepts like materials, resistance and sustainability.

By incorporating these activities into your Christmas schedule, you’ll not only captivate your pupils’ imaginations but also help them build foundational scientific skills that they can carry on into the rest of the academic year. 

Don’t forget to tag us in your festive science photos on social media! 

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