The theme for National Science Week, which runs from 13 – 21 August this year, is Glass: more than meets the eye.
The theme supports the UN International Year of Glass and links to the Chemical sciences curriculum looking at materials, their properties, uses and the ways they can be changed as well as technology and sustainability.
Glass was chosen for an International Year to celebrate its essential role in society.
The National Science Week website has a lot of information for schools, including a free downloadable book of resources produced by the Australian Science Teachers Association. The book contains First Nations activities with links to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Cross-curriculum priority, and has five different activities for Foundation to Year 2 classrooms:
- Sugar glass decorations
- Explore with a magnifying glass
- Turn a window into a mirror
- Make a kaleidoscope
- Glass at home
These activities bring fun and meaning to the science curriculum and encourage children to ask their own questions for further investigations.
You can even put in your postcodes to discover what events are being held near you.
Properties and uses of glass
There is a great video about glass available on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/A6ZEaWvlz6k?t=255
Although the video may be too long and at too high a level to show our F – 2 children, it is useful for reminding ourselves of the many amazing properties and uses of glass. There are speeches at the beginning and end of the video which you may wish to listen to. However, I have set the link to begin where the information about glass begins (about 4.15). The information ends at about 22 minutes.
Twelve facts about glass
Continue reading: Looking at Glass for National Science Week 13 – 21 August – Readilearn
Norah Colvin 
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