At The Basin Primary School, we recognise the importance of providing a relevant and engaging Science Program to our students. Our Science Program encourages students to explore their world and discover new ideas through connecting the activities in the classroom with authentic real-world experiences. Student engagement is supported through opportunities for hands-on science experiments and activities, combined with theory, to promote the development of creative and critical thinking skills, problem solving abilities and an awareness of the human impact on our world.

We have incorporated the Primary Connections framework to support students in the development of their understanding of Biological, Chemical, Physical, and Earth and Space Sciences. To encourage a more holistic and immersive experience in Science classes, lessons are structured to connect directly with our whole school Challenged Based Learning (CBL) topic to provide a deeper learning opportunity for our students. At The Basin Primary School, our aim is also to link Science to sustainability, and we encourage our students to collaborate to address local and global issues.

We are also fortunate to have established connections with a range of local and external providers who support our Science Program. Some of the activities that are provided for our students as a result of these connections are:

• Grade 1 Slime Making Incursion: Offered by Thermo Fisher Scientific, volunteers from this company organise an engaging ‘slime making’ incursion for our Grade 1 students each year as part of their ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Program’.

• Grade 5/6 STEAM Design Project: Our Grade 5 and 6 students take part in a term-long STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) design project each year using K’Nex kits generously donated to us by Thermo Fisher Scientific. Volunteers also mentor our students throughout the project and attend a presentation day to assist with the assessment of each team’s performance.

• BASF Kids’ Lab: We participate in the annual BASF Kids’ Lab experience held at Monash University where selected students from Grades 3 to 6 attend a hands-on laboratory-based workshop to learn more about Chemical Sciences.

• Science Week Activities: During Science Week, students engage in a range of specialised activities based on the yearly theme. We host a Science Pop Up Stall organised by Science Supply Australia who donate a portion of their sales to our Science Program. Through connections with Melbourne University, we also welcome guest speakers and expert scientists to speak to our students 

Through these opportunities, students develop an understanding of the important purpose of Science within our community, and how using their knowledge of scientific concepts can have an impact on local and global issues. To encourage a greater curiosity and enthusiasm towards Science learning, students can also participate in weekly lunchtime Science Club sessions. To further extend those students who have a passion for Science, we have also established a Science Extension Program for our senior students to challenge them and to facilitate the development of peer teaching skills through supporting a growing confidence in their science inquiry skills. Through these diverse opportunities at The Basin Primary School, we hope our students feel encouraged to be enthusiastic and curious about the world around them, with the aim to foster a lifelong interest in Science.