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TheSchoolRun.com closure date
As we informed you a few months ago, TheSchoolRun has had to make the difficult decision to close due to financial pressures and the company has now ceased trading. We had hoped to keep our content available through a partnership with another educational provider, but this provider has since withdrawn from the agreement.
As a result, we now have to permanently close TheSchoolRun.com. However, to give subscribers time to download any content they’d like to keep, we will keep the website open until 31st July 2025. After this date, the site will be taken down and there will be no further access to any resources. We strongly encourage you to download and save any resources you think you may want to use in the future.
In particular, we suggest downloading:
- Learning packs
- All the worksheets from the 11+ programme, if you are following this with your child
- Complete Learning Journey programmes (the packs below include all 40 worksheets for each programme)
You should already have received 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep. If you haven’t received these, please contact us at [email protected] before 31st July 2025, and we will send them to you.
We are very sorry that there is no way to continue offering access to resources and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.
Ks2 Investigative skills worksheets
Separating solids investigation
Ask an adult to provide you with a bowl filled with rice, sand, metal paper clips (or pins) and pasta (ideally penne) all mixed together. How could separate these materials? Ask to use a sieve, some plastic bowls and a magnet. See if you can use this equipment to separate out these solids.
Seed germination investigation
Let's investigate which conditions affect seed germination!
Pollution investigation
Unfortunately human activities can have negative impacts on habitats and the animals that live in them. This investigation will help you to understand the impact of an oil spill on our ocean habitats.
Paper airplane challenge
Make yourself a selection of paper airplanes. You’re going to race your planes against each other, but first decide on the parameters you want to measure (for example, speed or distance). Now predict which plane will win each completion. Were you right?
Observing electricity
Choose a selection of small electrical objects, preferably two-battery operated. Look closely at how the batteries are arranged. Open up a plug and look at the wires, all going in different directions. Can you work with your adult helper to put the plug back together? If you have an electricity meter clock, look at the dial turning and how much electricity you are using.
Moon phase diary
Use this sheet to create a simple moon phase diary. Look out of your window every night for a month and draw what the moon looks like. Record the date underneath each picture.
Micro-organisms investigation
This investigation will help you find out which conditions will encourage micro-organisms such as mould to grow.
Investigation: will it dissolve?
When we add some solids to water (or other liquids), they dissolve. Try this simple experiment to see which household solids will dissolve and which won’t.
Investigate shadows
Be a shadow detective! Place an object outside and record how the height and width of the shadow cast by the object changes throughout the day. Record them on this sheet.
Identifying good habitats
Try to find four different habitats that animals or minibeasts live in around your house. Make notes on how effective each of these habitats is.
How fast do you breathe?
We breathe all of the time. Breathing is vital to ensure that oxygen is taken into our bodies and harmful carbon dioxide is taken out of our body… but how fast do we breathe? When does this change? Why? Complete the table and see if this helps you to answer these questions.
How does sound resonate?
Resonance is described as the intensification and prolongation of sound, especially of a musical tone, produced by sympathetic vibration. Now ask an adult if you can borrow some glasses to investigate how the amount of water in a glass can affect the resonance sound made.
Fatty foods investigation
Ask an adult to help you select different foods that you think may contain more fat than others. Carefully rub each food in turn in one of the circles. Label each circle so that you can see which food was in which circle. Leave the paper to dry. When dry hold it up to the light. You should be able to see which foods contained more oil and fat as this will be left on the paper!
Electricity in our homes
Choose a room in your house and find all the things that use electricity to make them work. Can you find and draw the electricity source (the plug, switch or battery)? Remember: things that run off batteries also use electricity! If you are drawing light switches, add lines to show the wires which must run up to the light to make it work (even if they are hidden)
Dissolving salt investigation
In this experiment we will be investigating to see if the temperature of the water affects how quickly salt will dissolve in it.
Condensation investigation
There is water in air! This simple experiment will help you to quickly see this.
Cleaning water experiment
In this activity you will learn how to clean some water!
Air resistance investigation
Air resistance is a force which slows moving objects down. When things move through the air, they are slowed down. Planes can move more quickly through the air by having a more streamlined shape – this means less surface area for the air to resist against. Do you fancy having a go at running your own simple investigation into air resistance?
Using scientific equipment
Use this worksheet to help your child plan an investigation into rock permeability.
How fast do solids dissolve?
This activity encourages children to investigate at home which factors will make a difference to how fast a solid dissolves.