Space: Earth, Sun and Moon

1. The Earth - basic facts, structure and size

2. The Earth's movements - why we have days and nights, and years - demonstrations with globe, models, and lights

3. The Sun - basic facts, images

4. The size of the Sun - activity to guess the size of the Earth compared to the Sun, using scale models

5. The Moon - basic facts, structure, features such as craters, size

6. Human exploration of the Moon

7. Gravity on the Moon - activity to see how high children could jump on the Moon

Space: The Solar System

1. Intro - quick quiz about the Solar System (e.g. name all the planets, which is largest, hottest etc.)

2. A look at each planet and some of the major moons, with

a. scale models to understand relative sizes and colours

b. high quality images of each body

c. interesting facts including size, composition, surface features (e.g. craters, volcanoes, storms), temperature, human exploration, and possibility of life existing there

d. game - guess whether a photo shows an Earth or Mars landscape

e. game - guess size of Earth compared to Jupiter, with scale models

f. lots of questions to engage children

Evolution: The Tree of Life and Adaptation

1. Intro - what is evolution? The evidence - fossils (show a few real fossils of different ages to show how life changed)

2. The Tree of Life - compare to a family tree; an example of a tree of life; Darwin's idea that all organisms are related; closeness of species relationships, e.g. the closest species to humans is chimps

3. Using fossils to reveal evolutionary change - look at Archaeopteryx (replica fossil) - examine how it is like and unlike a bird, and similar to a dinosaur (look at replica of Compsognathus fossil); how this fossil told us that birds are descended from dinosaurs.

4. Adaptation - what does it mean? Why did some dinosaurs evolve wings? Use animal models to illustrate - long neck of Brachiosaurus

5. Adaptation game - show 3 animal models (eagle, tiger, elephant) - pairs of children pick one and identofy an adaptation and why it might have evolved; share ideas

Inheritance

1. Intro - how do we resemble our parents? Why?

2. Chromosomes - how many we have in each cell; how XX and XY chromosomes determine sex; game to randomly create a family of boys and girls to see how inheritance of chromosomes works, and why half of all babies are boys and half girls

3. Genes - what they are and how they work; Mendel's pea experiments; dominant and recessive genes; how this works with eye colour

4. A look at the 'White spotting gene', which determines how much white a cat has in its fur; game to identify which variants of that gene a cat has

Fossils and Dinosaurs

1. What are fossils and why are they important? Look at some real fossils - ammonite, trilobite - how they tell us about life in the past; look at photos of dinosaur skeletons in museums (T rex etc.); look at dinosaur models and model ammonite - the fossils tell us what the animal looked like

2. Look at 4 real dinosaur fossils (bone, tooth, eggshell, dung)

3. How do fossils form? Images to show the process

4. Fossil game - see 10 fossils and try to guess what animal they came from (children work in pairs and write answers down)

The Pharaohs of Egypt

1. Intro - who were pharaohs? How can we identify them in a picture or statue? Crowns, headdress, cartouche with name in

2. The pyramids - why were they built? How were they built? Look at model of sled and model showing how ramps were built. The Step Pyramid and the pyramids of Giza - amazing facts

3. Khufu - the pharaoh buried in the Great Pyramid  use a hieroglyph sheet to translate his name and write it.

4. Tutankhamun - photos to show the discovery of his tomb and his amazing treasures - look at photos and models of his mask, coffin, scarab pectoral and gold dagger; photos to show what Tut looked like when he was alive and now. Why is he the most famous pharaoh?

Greek Legacies: Art and Architecture

1. Greek temple architecture - photos of the Parthenon; models to show the 3 types of column; modern buildings with Greek columns

2. Greek column game - guess the column type in 10 photos

3. Greek art - four periods of Greek art history (Minoan, Geometric, Archaic, Classical) - photos to learn the types of art and how the style changed - how the Greeks invented realistic art; try poses of some statues to see how they became more dynamic

4. Greek art game - see 7 replicas of Greek art and working in pairs write down which period they are from

Roman and Celtic Art

1. Roman mosaics - look at my own replicas of Roman mosaics and photos to see the different types of mosaics; how were they made? See my 3 real Roman mosaic tiles

2. Roman and Celtic metal art - see photos and my replicas of gold, silver and bronze treasures; Roman silver plates (Mildenhall treasure and Corbridge tray); Celtic mirror; Celtic torc (necklace); coins; Celtic shields; learn what each item is and any special meanings, such as representations of gods; learn the difference in style between Roman and Celtic art

3. Roman or Celtic Game - see photos of metal art and working in pairs write down if it is Roman or Celtic

Anglo-Saxons

1. Who were the Anglo-Saxons? Where they came from and when

2. Look at replicas of helmet, shield, sword and seax (long knife) as well as photos to learn about Anglo-Saxon weapons and armour

3. Use a rune sheet to translate the name inscribed on the Beagnoth seax in the British Museum (also my replica)

4. Look at photos and my replicas of Anglo-Saxon jewellery; learn about different styles, techniques, and special meanings such as hidden animals