Physical Sciences
Heat & Energy
Students investigate how heat moves by observing particle movement, comparing conduction through plastic and metal using an infrared thermometer, and testing how insulators slow heat transfer.
Year 3–4
90 min
up to 30 students
$490 + GST
What students will do
Students observe food dye dispersing through cups of hot, warm and cold water to see how temperature affects how quickly particles move and spread, then use a large demonstration thermometer and an infrared thermometer to measure temperature around the room and on their own bodies. Pairs compare how heat conducts through plastic versus metal plates in contact with ice blocks, and a chemical heat pack demonstrates chemical energy converting to heat. Heat-sensitive sheets reveal insulation at work, and a jumping disc is warmed by rubbing until it pops as its two metal layers cool at different rates. The session closes with a convection demonstration, watching dye stream upward from a submerged, dye-filled salt shaker in a tank of water.
Learning outcomes
- Observe how temperature affects the speed at which particles move and spread, using food dye in hot, warm and cold water
- Use a digital and an infrared thermometer to measure and compare temperatures around the room and identify patterns
- Investigate how heat transfers through conduction by comparing a metal and a plastic plate in contact with ice
- Describe how a chemical heat pack converts stored chemical energy into heat
- Investigate how an insulating material slows the transfer of heat using heat-sensitive sheets
- Explain how a jumping disc uses friction and the different cooling rates of two metal layers to store and release energy
- Observe a convection current forming as dye rises from a submerged container into surrounding water
Curriculum links
- VC2S4U09Core
Heat can be produced in different ways, including chemical, electrical and radiated heat, and temperature change is related to heat transfer. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S4I03Core
Formal measurements, including the use of familiar scaled instruments, can be made and recorded to represent and compare data. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S4H02Related
Science knowledge, and the processes used to develop it, are used to meet a need or to solve a problem that directly affects people's lives. View on VCAA ↗
- VC2S4I01Related
Observations can be used to pose questions and make predictions to guide an investigation. View on VCAA ↗
Often booked alongside
Chemical Sciences
Christmas SciTech
Students grow a crystal Christmas tree, mould a bouncy snowball, unmask mystery liquids with a colour-change indicator, make instant snow, launch Santa's sleigh and build a snowball catapult to take home.
Physical Sciences
Electricity
Students build working circuits, classify conductors and insulators, compare series and parallel configurations, and investigate how different energy sources, including hand-powered generators, produce electricity.
Physical Sciences
Force & Motion
Students measure forces with a spring balance, test friction across surfaces, feel inertia first-hand, launch reaction rockets, and explore magnetism and static electricity.
Bring Heat & Energy to your school
Tell us your year levels and preferred dates. We'll confirm availability and bring everything with us.
Limited dates each term — one facilitator, one school per day.