Scienza Viva is a program developed to actively engage students in the process of science.
It’s very much ‘Learning by Doing’, with a real scientist combining genuine learning
with first hand experience of the scientific method.
Scienza Viva brings "hands on" scientific activities to primary and high schools, that are directly related to the school syllabus.
We also offer three shows for larger groups - the interactive "Let's Find Out Science Shows 1 and 2", plus the "Let's Find Out Demonstration Show". Click here< for details.
Click here to see costs and conditions for primary schools.
What hands on activities are available to primary schools?
Scienza Viva offers thirty-two separate, hands on science activities designed to be taken in class groups,
inside the classroom or outside.
All activities are designed to run for one hour.
Find an activity for your class. Click on any one of the activities Scienza Viva offers for your stage to see more detail.
All of our hands on activities relate to the Skills strand, and to Working Scientifically, in that we seek to develop the engagement of students in Science and Technology and to develop the skills of the students appropriate to their stage to help them achieve this.
1. Minibeast hunt in the soil/compost. Do you know your earwig from your burrowing cockroach? See how many different animals are in a sample of compost and why they are important. Students will be engaged in a hunt through compost/soil samples that are provided. They will observe and learn how the minibeasts move and feed.
Children sit in a semi circle on the ground, so no chairs are required. This activity can be conducted outside if you wish, and in that case we will bring a large tarpaulin for the group to sit on.
What do we need? One trestle sized table. Set up time is 30 minutes and we need 30 minutes to pack up, but no preparation time is needed between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Early Stage 1 to Stage 3.
Early Stage 1 - STe-3LW-ST. Stage 1 - ST1-4LW-S. Stage 2 - ST2-4LW-S. Stage 3 - ST3-4LW-S.
Costs and Conditions.
2. Minibeasts in soil and water. Hunt for minibeasts by land or sea (or in the water at least)! Students will see how the animals in soil and water use the living and nonliving parts of their environments. The children will move around a series of stations and use microscopy and simple tests of water quality.
This is a station run activity, so no chairs are needed.
What do we need? Nine tables, trestle size if possible, to set up the stations, arranged around the perimeter of a large empty room or hall. Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and water during set up. Set up time is one hour and we need one hour to pack up, as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for older Stage 2 and stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
3. Minibeasts from the beach.
Students will be engaged in a close look at some of the marine animals and plants found at our beaches. They will make discoveries on how these minibeasts protect themselves from drying out and being eaten.
Students sit in a semi circle on the ground, so no chairs are required.
Special Condition: Due to the complexity of setup and maintenance for this activity, the minimum booking is equivalent to 90 students (minimum invoice $720) .
What do we need? Two trestle sized tables. Set up time is forty minutes and we need thirty minutes to pack up, but no preparation time is needed between consecutive sessions.Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Early Stage 1 - Stage 3.
Early Stage 1 - STe-3LW-ST. Stage 1 - ST1-4LW-S. Stage 2 - ST2-4LW-S. Stage 3 - ST3-4LW-S.
Costs and Conditions.
4. The Water Cycle. Children will learn where our freshwater comes from and why it is so precious. The activity complements What’s Alive (Stage 1) and Cycles in Our World (Stage 2). After working out how the water cycle works
the children make their own mini-water cycle (a terrarium). The activity finishes with a water cycle game.
Children sit in a semicircle on the ground, so no chairs are required. This activity can be conducted outside if you wish, and in that case we will bring a large tarpaulin for the group to sit on. We normally conclude with a game which is best conducted outside as water will be spilt.
What do we need?One trestle sized table required. Access to water for set up. Set up time is thirty minutes and we need twenty minutes to pack up, but no preparation time is needed between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Early Stage 1 - Stage 3.
Early Stage 1 - STe-6ES-S. Stage 1 - ST1-10ES-S. Stage 2 - ST2-4LW-S. Stage 3 - ST3-4LW-S.
Costs and Conditions.
5. Push and Pull. Investigate forces, energy, movement and work through a variety of individual experiments, using different materials. We look at creating tools to make work easier. Several activities show how to make good use of the forces we apply to do work. They finish by testing a simple toy, which they keep.
Children sit in a semicircle on the ground, so no chairs are required.
What do we need? Two trestle sized tables are required. Set up time is thirty minutes and we need twenty minutes to pack up, as well as a
minimum of five minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 1 and 2.
Costs and Conditions.
6. Weird and wonderful water. This activity looks mostly at the properties of water. Children investigate water through a variety of activities including looking at air pressure,
working out why objects float or sink, making a cartesian diver, observing what happens when you mix hot and cold water together.
They make their own model water wheel and finish by having "cyclone in a bottle races".
Children sit in a semicircle on the ground, so no chairs are required. This activity can be conducted outside if you wish, and in that case we will bring a large tarpaulin for the group to sit on.
What do we need? Two trestle sized tables are required, and one low table or desk. Access to water for set up. Set up time is one hour and we need forty-five minutes to pack up, as well as a minimum of fifteen minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
7. A Look Inside. A station activity developed for Stage 2 children. Children rotate around 8 stations. Look at height, weight and BMI, pulse rates, heart beat sounds, blood pressure, the composition of your breath, vision, the organ systems of the human body and other living things, and their skeletons and skulls. At the conclusion of this activity we look at lung function using a
simple model and the children’s taste threshold to salt. Complements Stage 2 syllabus, A look Inside.
This is a station run activity, so no chairs are needed.
What do we need? Eight tables, trestle size if possible, to set up the stations, arranged around the perimeter of a large empty room or hall. Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and water during set up. Set up time is one hour and we need one hour to pack up, as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 2.
Costs and Conditions.
8. Construct it! A station activity developed for Stage 2 children. Children rotate around 10 stations,
spending a few minutes at each. They use a microscope to look at construction materials, observe insulation, elasticity, magnetism and transparency
properties of different materials, copper plate a nail, use a metal detector, build towers and use an interactive IT activity to work out where
our electricity comes from. At the conclusion of this activity we build a model house using some of the principles that they learnt
rotating around the stations. Complements Stage 2 syllabus Indoors, Outdoors.
This is a station run activity, so no chairs are needed.
What do we need? Nine tables, trestle size if possible, to set up the stations, arranged around the perimeter of a large empty room or hall. One low table or desk.
Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and water for set up. Set up time is one hour and we need one hour to pack up,
as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 2.
Costs and Conditions.
9. Forensic Flying Squad This activity complements the Outcome "Investigating" for stage 3 students. The activity is intended to lead the students to make a judgement on the events according to the evidence presented to them and to critically assess the information. Students will be given a crime to solve (the murder of the entomologist, Professor Henry Slugg). They will be led through a series of activities (at nine different stations) that will allow them to gather information using a number of hands on techniques.
They will have to make judgements as to which evidence is important in solving the crime. They will test various materials relevant to the crime
by using microscopy, chemistry, chromatography, physical measurements and examination of trace evidence. After recording their results on the worksheets provided, the students will be encouraged to asses the information they have collected and draw conclusions that will solve the crime.
This is a station run activity, so no chairs are needed.
What do we need? Nine tables, trestle size if possible, to set up the stations, arranged around the perimeter of a large empty room or hall.
Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and water for set up. Set up time is one hour and we need one hour to pack up,
as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
10. Let's Investigate. This session allows children to participate in a number of different activities in which they observe, question, predict and propose explanations for why things occur. Children will participate in some fun chemical experiments. Can you make a ping pong ball fly? Can you make sultanas jump? Why does a Cartesian diver dive? Can you catch a pretend fish? and more!
Children sit in a semicircle on the ground, so no chairs are required.
What do we need? Two trestle sized tables are required. Access to water for set up. Set up time is forty minutes and we need thirty minutes to pack up, as well as a minimum of fifteen minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Eary Stage 1, Stages 1, 2 and 3.
Costs and Conditions.
11. Batteries Not Included In this activity we look at several historical toys and the science behind them. The emphasis can be on the historical aspect of the toys, or on the way in which they use energy. Toys include thaumatropes, spinning top, cup and ball, shadow puppets and the clucking cup. Children take home a simple toy.
Children sit in a semicircle on the ground, so no chairs are required.
What do we need? Two trestle sized tables are required. Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and to water for set up. Set up time is forty minutes and we need thirty minutes to pack up, as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions.
Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Early Stage 1 and Stage 1.
Costs and Conditions.
12.Stuck on Magnetism: Children individually test metals for magnetism, look at the effect of magnets on iron filings, work out how to pick up non magnetic objects using a magnet, make butterflies fly. Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 children catch a fish to take home. We investigate an electromagnet, simple motor, magnetism through water and floating magnets.
Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 children sit in a semicircle on the ground, while Stage 2 and 3 children move around a series of stations.
What do we need? Early Stage 1 and Stage 1: Two trestle sized tables are required, and access to water for set up. Stage 2 and 3: Nine trestle sized tables, access to electricity for a laptop, and access to water during setup. No chairs are required. Set up time is forty minutes and we need thirty minutes to pack up, as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions.
Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Early Stage1 - Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
13.Simple Electricity: This is a station run activity. Students make a circuit, they use electricity to make chemical changes and chemistry to get electricity, use a galvanometer and an electromagnet, get sound from electricity, and investigate static electricity. They examine the operation of a solar panel, find out how atoms are put together and how that allows the production of electricity, examine electronic circuits and more!
This is a station run activity, so no chairs are needed.
What do we need? Ten tables, trestle size if possible, to set up the stations, arranged around the perimeter of a large empty room or hall.
Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and water for set up. Set up time is one hour and we need one hour to pack up,
as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
14. An Ancient Land - Rocks and Soils.During this activity, students will rotate around a number of stations which include looking at the composition of soil, soil characteristics, soil porosity, diversity of minibeasts/invertebrates in compost, the rock cycle, erosion, how the Australian continent came to be where it is through continental drift, and fossils. The students make casts of a fossil ammonite to take away.
This is a station run activity, so no chairs are needed.
What do we need? Eight tables, trestle size if possible, to set up the stations, arranged around the perimeter of a large empty room or hall.
Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and water for set up. Set up time is one hour and we need one hour to pack up,
as well as a minimum of fifteen minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 2-3.
Costs and Conditions.
15.Let's Get Small - Microbiology.
This is a Stage 3 activity, developed to complement the Primary Connections "Marvellous Micro-organisms" unit. Students work their way around a series of stations which use microscopy and other methods of magnification to
examine micro-organisms and place them in the context of other living things. Finally, the students assemble a simplified model of the van Leeuwenhoek microscope, which they keep.
This is a station run activity, so no chairs are needed.
Special Condition: Due to the complexity of setup and maintenance for this activity, the minimum booking is equivalent to 90 students (minimum invoice $720).
What do we need? Eight tables, trestle size if possible, to set up the stations, arranged around the perimeter of a large empty room or hall.
Access to electrical powerpoints during the activity and water for set up. Set up time is one hour and we need one hour to pack up,
as well as a minimum of fifteen minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
16. Food Chemistry
Using common materials from the kitchen, the class separates colour mixtures, measure the acidity of a solution with red cabbage juice, makes sultanas dance, uses eggs to show how cooking chemically changes food, make works of art with milk and food colouring, look at the properties of unusual materials and of course, we have a bit of fun with the reaction between vinegar and sodium bicarbonate.
Suitable for Early Stage 1, Stage 1 and Stage 2 students.
Costs and Conditions.
17. Carbon Dioxide Fun
The air around us is invisible. We can only know it's there by the movement of the wind. Air is made up of a mixture of gases.
One gas which is important to us is called carbon dioxide, even though only a tiny part (about 0.35%) of the air is carbon dioxide.
There's not a lot of it in the air, but it turns up all over the place, and you can have a bit of fun with it. In this activity the students make sultanas dance, whip up some sherbert, look for carbon dioxide in their breath, extinguish candles, test for pH, blow up balloons without touching them, make vinegar volcanoes and let off soft drink fountains and film cannister rockets.
Suitable for Stage 3 students.
Costs and Conditions.
18. Indicators and pH
In this activity students examine a variety of chemical reactions using colour indicators to show the presence of acids or alkalis. We see the
different types of indicators, and make one ourselves from red cabbage. The indicators help us to see that acids are in many materials around us, including our own breath, and can be useful in some foods. We also examine a different type of indicator, which demonstrates a reversible chemical reaction.
Suitable for Stage 3 students.
Costs and Conditions.
19. The Young Chemist's Sampler
Chemists do many different things, and there are many types of chemistry. In this activity students examine a variety of chemical reactions and
properties of materials, including the use of colour indicators to show the presence of acids or alkalis and detect proteins, separation of colours
with paper chromatography, chemical electroplating, the real lemon battery and the properties of some unusual materials. They will look at the
content of gases in their breath. And of course, a couple of gentle explosions.
Suitable for Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
20. Making a Home.
Using our version of the three little pigs story, children test a bridge and build different model houses suitable for a toy animal, thinking about what makes the structures strong. We then construct a model house.
Children sit in a semicircle on the ground, so no chairs are required.
What do we need? Two trestle sized tables are required. Set up time is forty minutes and we need thirty minutes to pack up, as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Early Stage 1.
Costs and Conditions.
21. Adventures in Sustainable Energy. Developed for the 2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. We use a variety of methods of generating electricity (model solar panel, model wind generator, muscle power, chemical sources (lemon batteries and also real battery chemistry). We also look at direct heat energy, as in solar hot water, and uses of sources of energy like falling water.
What do we need? Ten trestle sized tables are required as well as access to electricity. We need access to water during set up. Set up time is one hour and we need thirty minutes to pack up, as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 2 - Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
22. Light Up the World. This activity was designed to support Stage 3 Physical World content in the NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. We developed the activity in 2015, the UN International Year of Light and found that Stage 2 students enjoy it as well.
Students work their way around a series of stations. Classify materials by light transmission, make discoveries with solar panels, experiment with prisms and lenses, have fun with shadows, use a periscope, individually make a chatterbox and much more!
What do we need? Ten trestle sized tables are required as well as access to electricity. Set up time is one hour and we need thirty minutes to pack up, as well as a minimum of ten minutes preparation time between consecutive sessions. Please let us know whether parking is close to where the activity will be held.
Suitable for Stage 2.
Costs and Conditions.
23. Hot and Cold. This activity supports Stage 2 Physical World content.
Students will work in groups. They will look at the effect of different insulation materials over time, entering the results in a table. In between taking temperature readings, students will see some demonstrations related to heat transfer, including chemical reactions, conduction and convection experiments, as well as trying some brief hands on activities. When they go back to class they will have the data ready to graph their results.
Suitable for Stage 2.
Costs and Conditions.
24. What a State! This activity supports Stage 2 Physical World content.
Students will work in groups, initially measuring temperatures of various materials. They will then look at the effect of different insulation materials over time, entering the results in a table. In between taking temperature readings, students will look at some demonstrations related to heat including chemical reactions, conduction and convection experiments. When they go back to class they will have the data ready to graph their results.
Suitable for Stage 2.
Costs and Conditions.
25.The Sky Above Us
In this activity the class will make a distinction between the atmosphere close to the surface of the Earth, and space, looking at cloud formation and the light we see. They will identify the Earth as a planet orbiting around a star (the Sun), and the Moon as on object orbiting around the Earth. They will use models to examine the Earth and other planets, their sizes and relative distances from the Sun and how their orbits work.
As well, they will examine the interactions between Sun, Earth and Moon which give rise to day and night, phases of the Moon and seasons. They will examine some of the means by which discoveries are made.
To finish, the class will assemble a simple sun compass to keep.
Suitable for Stage 1.
Costs and Conditions.
26. Earth Moon and Sun
In this activity the class will identify the Earth as a planet orbiting around a star (the Sun). They will use models to examine the Earth and its Moon, their sizes and relative distances from the Sun and the nature and duration of their orbits.
As well, they will examine the interactions between Sun, Earth and Moon which give rise to day and night, phases of the Moon and seasons, as well as irregular events such as eclipses. They will examine some of the means by which discoveries are made.
To finish, the class will assemble simple sundials.
Suitable for Stage 2.
Costs and Conditions.
27. Earth and Sky
In this activity the class will work in groups around a series of stations, where they examine the Earth, Sun and Moon, and the phases of the moon, the tides and the way in which seasons result from that relationship.
They identify the Earth as part of a system of planets orbiting around a star (the Sun). They will use models to examine the other planets, their sizes and relative distances from the Sun and the nature and duration of their orbits. As well, they will examine some of the means by which discoveries are made.
To finish, the class will assemble a simple planisphere - a sky map.
Suitable for Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
28. The World of Small Animals and Plants
Plants are the base of many ecosystems. Some environments are complicated and some are simpler. This station based activity allows students to look at both plants and animals and how they interact in a variety of environments in water and on land. Students will look at a variety of organisms and decide whether they are plants, animals or something else, and discover that plants move and can sense environmental conditions.
Suitable for Stage 2.
Costs and Conditions.
29. Fun with Forces
Because there are so many ways in which we interact with the physical world, there are different types of contact and non-contact forces at work. This is a station activity in which students try many different approaches to understanding forces and also investigate the different materials for the toys and models used to demonstrate different forces.
Suitable for Stage 2 and 3.
Costs and Conditions.
30. Marine Environment and Pollution
A station based activity examining the adaptations of some marine creatures and the effects of pollutants such as plastics on the marine environments.
Special Condition: Due to the complexity of setup and maintenance for this activity, the minimum booking is equivalent to 90 students (minimum invoice $720) .
Suitable for Stage 3.
Costs and Conditions.
Scienza Viva can develop other environmentally based activities for your class.Contact Effie for any other environmental activities
you may like to conduct. Duration and cost is according to the selected activities. Here are some suggestions:
Make your own rain gauge.
The pH of water and what it means.
Build a solar thermometer.
Wash that water clean! Children filter a mucky water sample by natural means.
Make your own water wheel
Make your own water turbine
Environmental games to help establish the lessons in the children’s’ memories.
Life cycles of stick insect, mosquitoes, dragonflies, mayflies, beetles, mealworms and brine shrimp.
Do you have an activity in the science or environment curriculum I can assist with? Call or email to discuss your requirements. The length of time to prepare will naturally vary with the activity requested.
For larger groups - The Let’s Find Out Science ShowsWe have developed the Let's Find Out Science Shows for special occasions when larger schools want to stage a science event. The Let’s Find Out Science Show is a one hour, interactive show with demonstrations designed for a larger audience, and suitable for Early Stage 1 to Stage 3.
Cost for The Let's Find Out Science Show
$4 per student attending with a minimum cost of $400 per session delivered.
Click here for full details.
In response to the need for safety during the COVID-19 pandemic we have developed a new, purely demonstration show based on the first Let's Find Out Science Show. It contains more individual experiments to compensate for the lack of direct student participation.
How much does Scienza Viva cost?
Costs - Sydney Greater Metropolitan Area:
Hands-On Activities: One hour sessions cost $8.00 per child attending the session.
Our hands on sessions are designed for class groups of about 30 students.
Minimum total invoice cost: $240 per booking for each different activity, except for Minibeasts from the Beach, Marine Environment and Pollution and Let's Get Small. For those activities only, we require a minimum booking equivalent to three classes of 30 students (minimum invoice $720).
Costs - Outside the Sydney Metropolitan Area:
Activity costs per student are as for the Sydney Metropolitan Area, but we may incur extra travel and accommodation costs, depending on your location.
We prefer to waive these travelling and transport costs, if enough students are booked to make this possible. I would be happy to discuss ways to do this, for example, by organising a combined visit to more than one school. If the number of students is close to the minimum that would support our visit, we may also ask the school to agree to a guaranteed minimum attendance, which is effectively the minimum invoice cost. Above this amount we charge only for the number of students attending the activity.
Payment
Payment is due at the conclusion of the activity on the day of the booking or within 7 days of the activity.
There is NO GST payable.
What is the group size for the activities?
Scienza Viva hands-on activities are taken in class groups of up to 30 children.
Who conducts Scienza Viva activities?
Effie Howe BAppSc (Environmental Science), MSc (Physiology), PhD (Fish ecology), GradDipEd (Secondary science).
Effie has over 20 years experience as a working scientist in universities and CSIRO, with publications in aquatic biology, physiology, biochemistry and biotechnology. She has accumulated a broad range of experience in field biology and in laboratory investigation and has been privileged to work in a diverse range of research environments.
As well as bringing these activities to preschools, primary schools and high schools, Effie’s teaching experience includes developing and teaching environmental biology and biology courses at TAFE colleges and Universities.
Chris Howe, BSc (Zoology/Biochemistry), MSc(Med) (Physiology).
Chris has over 20 years experience as a working scientist in biomedical research, in hospitals and universities, and worked for twelve years in sports doping control at the National Measurement Institute in Sydney.
He has a deep interest in all areas of science and the communication of science. Chris has presented research in many settings, from schools to international research conferences and has publications in endocrinology, reproductive medicine, physiology and doping control.
Please contact Effie or Chris for further information or bookings
Email:effiehowe@scienzaviva.com.au
Ph 9874 3691; Mobile 0408 460 948 (Effie) or 0448 183 967 (Chris)