Luckily, with the internet, there are a LOT of options available for parents and teachers who want to develop a love of science in their children.
We’ve scoured both online and offline resources to compile our top five free and low-cost science resources for kids.
Here are our picks:
National Geographic for kids
We’ve all heard of the National Geographic and you probably grew up reading their magazines or watching shows from their channel (yes a whole channel) on TV.
Well they still have all that (and they have a magazine specifically for kids) but they also have a great website jam-packed with free resources just for kids.
Covering all areas of science, and tackling “topical topics” such as the science around the recent Winter Olympics, this is a great way for the kids put their digital device time to good use.
NASA
NASA shares an incredible amount of information, photos and videos of their missions and scientific endeavours in space, going right back to when space exploration first began.
It’s a great site to let the kids loose on to explore as they see fit.
Plus, on another site run by NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, kids can really get stuck into things, with access to projects, activities and experiments that mirror what NASA engineers, scientists and astronauts are doing in the real world.
Check out the NASA site and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Museums and science centres everywhere
Nothing beats seeing things in real life, and a great place to do that is in the nation’s museums and science centres.
Even the smallest towns have museums, and depending on where you are, they are often science-based, talking about dinosaurs (outback Queensland), space (various observatories), the rainforest (such as in the Daintree), or geology (such as Geoscience Australia in Canberra).
There are also fantastic hands-on science centres, museums and exhibits in our capital cities such as Questacon in Canberra, the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and the Science Museum in Brisbane.
The library!
Well not the library itself, but all the books in it! Even with the internet and all its fabulous resources, libraries are still treasure-troves of information for kids who like to sit down and flick through a good book.
Every library has a science section, and a kids section, so the best way to start is to get the kids to pick a topic of science that interests them, then go down and browse the shelves.
Plus, during the holidays, libraries often have special events with a science focus (ask your local library for details).
And the best bit? Everything is freeeee!
Experimentary
No list of the best free and low-cost science activities would be complete without talking about Experimentary!
Our very own science resource just for kids is all about learning in a hands-on way, using exploration to discover more about important science concepts.
There are dozens (and dozens) of activities and experiments on the site aimed at primary-school aged children, with lots of how-to videos and a digital lab book to guide kids along the way.
Experimentary is both free (with free trials) and low-cost (with affordable annual subscriptions) so we really do tick all the boxes for this list!
Sign up for Experimentary today and get the kids hooked on science with all these amazing resources.
