National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology and it is held from 12 - 20 August 2023.
The theme for National Science Week in 2023 is Innovation: Powering Future Industries. It incorporates the advancement in technology in all industries, especially using artificial intelligence (AI).
The curriculum focus of the theme is on the following:
- Science as a Human Endeavour
- Chemical Sciences
- Physical Sciences
- Earth and Space Sciences, and
- Biological Sciences.
Ideas Include:
- Code a binary bracelet - Children design and create a bracelet using coloured beads that spell out the first letter of their name using binary code.
- Make balance scales - This simple set of scales can tell you if one item is heavier than another. Use them as a group activity, as part of a rotation station, or for free play.
- The wheels go round and round - learning how wheels move, and how they make all sorts of other things move too.
- Innovation - Learning about innovations and how they shape our world.
- Design a smart farm - earning how innovation can make farming better.
- Living things have basic needs, including food and water
- Daily and seasonal changes in our environment affect everyday life
- Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape
- Different materials can be combined for a particular purpose
- Science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events
- Hands-On Science Experiments
Documentation Templates:
- National Science Week Portfolio Template - Can be used to detail the experiences the children engaged in during National Science Week.
- Discovering Science - The Discovering Science template enables educators to provide detailed information on the science experiments that the children were involved in.
Teacher Resource Book:
Innovation: Powering Future Industries - has lesson plans, activities, demonstrations, Indigenous and historical perspectives and curriculum links for teachers of classes starting from early learning.
For more information: National Science Week