Biological Sciences
Life Cycles
Students sort living and non-living specimens, model pollination with pipe-cleaner bees, examine seeds, set up their own mini-greenhouse, and observe live mealworms completing a life cycle.
Foundation–2
90 min
up to 30 students
$490 + GST
What students will do
Students sort a container of living, once-living and non-living specimens, then use plastic plant and frog models to sequence life cycle stages for different organisms. Working as a group, they simulate flower pollination by dusting pipe-cleaner bee models with turmeric and transferring it to paper-plate flowers. Students examine a diverse seed collection and discuss how different seeds disperse, then each set up a mini-greenhouse by planting seeds in cotton wool in a sandwich container with water to take back to class and observe over the following weeks. The session closes with live mealworms in small containers and students using four pasta shapes to create a butterfly life cycle chart.
Curriculum outcomes
Victorian Curriculum v2.0 content descriptions addressed in this session.
- VC2S2U01
Sort living, once-living and non-living things using observable features and give reasons for their choices
- VC2S2U02
Identify the basic needs of plants and animals — food, water, air and shelter — and describe how habitats meet these needs
- VC2S2U03
Sequence the life cycle stages of familiar plants and animals, and describe how offspring resemble but are not identical to their parents
Often booked alongside
Physical Sciences
How Objects Move
Students roll differently shaped objects, race a balloon-powered car, drop parachutes, launch foam pump rockets, and test what sinks or floats, exploring how pushes and pulls drive every outcome.
Physical Sciences
Light & Sound
Students sort materials as transparent, translucent or opaque, feel vibrations with tuning forks, build a box guitar to explore pitch, and create shadows with a torch.
Chemical Sciences
Materials & Mixing
Students identify mystery liquids, trigger a chemical reaction, transform a powder into instant snow, use a colour-change indicator, and separate iron filings from sand with a magnet.
Bring Life Cycles 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.