Scientific Enquiry in Year 2

This term we have been learning about keeping healthy. We started by thinking about the need for humans to eat a balanced diet and what that looks like. The children created their own ‘eat well plates’ showing meals with the advised amount of carbohydrate, protein, fruit and vegetables, dairy and oil/fat/sugar. Next the children thought about how we can stay healthy and brainstormed ideas such as:

  • washing our hands
  • washing our bodies/hair
  • brushing teeth
  • exercising
  • getting enough sleep
  • drinking water                                                                                                                                                                                             

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zqbxqfr/articles/zxvkd2p

We also learnt about the famous scientist Louis Pasteur. Louis carried out some experiments to prove that germs are living things that can spread between objects and people, through touch or through the air.

Our word of the day was ‘hygienic‘ and we know that this means to keep clean and therefore helps to stop the spread of germs. 

This week in science we created an experiment using bread, to try to prove that handwashing is important to stop the spread of germs.

First we thought about an investigative question to help us and decided upon ‘Is it important to wash our hands before we eat?’ We then  discussed what we could do to try to show this. This is the method we followed:

First we took one slice of bread and put it in a bag, using plastic gloves, so untouched by hands.

Then, one child washed their hands with soap and dried them, then touched the bread with their hands and put it in the bag.

Next, another child who hadn’t washed their hands touched the bread and put it in a bag.

Finally, a child who was willing to put their hands in the mud, did so and then touched the bread! We put that in a bag too. We sealed them all up and stapled them to our display board. 

We enjoyed reciting a simplified method, using hand actions to help us!

We are observing the slices of bread closely, to notice any changes.

We talked about what making a prediction means. Here are some of our predictions:

“Slice number 4 will go mouldy first because it has the most germs”.

” Slice number 2 might go a bit mouldy as not all the germs will have been washed off the hands”

“Slice number 1 will go a bit mouldy but later than the others”. 

Some great scientific enquiry Year 2! We can’t wait to see what will happen next!