Science
At Limes Farm Infant School and Nursery, we aim to nurture every child’s natural sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. Science in our school is all about hands-on exploration, asking questions, investigating ideas, and discovering how things work—from the plants growing in our outdoor areas to the materials we touch every day.
How We Teach Science: Developing Experts
To deliver a rich, engaging, and high-quality science curriculum, we use Developing Experts. This innovative scheme supports our teaching through interactive lessons, captivating storytelling, and videos that connect classroom learning to real-world science and careers.
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Structured Progression: Developing Experts is carefully sequenced so that scientific knowledge and vocabulary build step-by-step from Nursery through Key Stage 1. Concepts taught in early years are revisited and deepened as children grow, ensuring strong foundations for future learning.
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Hands-On Enquiry: Every lesson encourages children to "work scientifically"—observing, predicting, testing, and drawing simple conclusions through practical experiments and outdoor learning.
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Rich Vocabulary: Children are explicitly taught key scientific words, giving them the language they need to talk about their discoveries with confidence.
Key Science Skills: Working Scientifically
In the infant years, our young scientists focus on developing five core enquiry skills:
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Asking Questions: Wondering why and how things happen.
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Observing Closely: Using senses and simple equipment (like magnifying glasses) to look closely at objects, plants, and animals.
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Performing Simple Tests: Trying out ideas to see what happens.
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Identifying & Classifying: Sorting items by properties, shapes, or characteristics.
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Gathering & Recording Data: Sharing findings through drawing, charts, talking, and writing.
How You Can Support Science Learning at Home
Science is happening all around us! You don't need a lab or special equipment to support your child—just a sense of curiosity.
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Explore Nature Together: Go on mini-beast hunts in the garden, spot seasonal changes in trees, or collect leaves and rocks while walking in the park.
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Kitchen Science: Talk about simple changes while cooking or baking—watching ice melt, water boil, or chocolate melt creates great scientific discussions!
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Ask "What If?" Questions: Encourage problem-solving during everyday play (e.g., "Which object do you think will float in the bath?" or "What happens if we drop this ball on the carpet versus the kitchen floor?").
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Look at the Night Sky: Notice the moon's shape changing across the month or talk about shadows on sunny days.
Key Science Terms Explained
Here is a simple guide to some of the key science words your child will explore in school:
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Material: What an object is made from—such as wood, plastic, metal, glass, fabric, or paper.
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Property: A word used to describe how a material looks, feels, or behaves (for example: hard, soft, bendy, waterproof, or rough).
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Habitat: The natural home or environment where a plant or animal lives and gets everything it needs to survive, like a woodland, pond, or garden.
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Life Cycle: The stages of growth and change that a living thing goes through during its life—such as a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, or an acorn growing into an oak tree.
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Prediction: A thoughtful guess about what might happen in an experiment before doing it, based on what children already know.
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Living, Dead, and Never Alive: How we categorize things in nature—such as a growing dog (living), a fallen leaf (dead), or a stone (never alive).
Skills Progression Maps
The Developing Experts curriculum is coherently sequenced to ensure a clear, step-by-step progression of knowledge and skills as children move through our school.
Please take a look at our progression maps below.