BBC Science Simulations 1

Were you ever curious if a plant would grow if it were never exposed to light? Or how about what would happen in the food chain if there were no predators? Well you can explore this and more with BBC's Science Simulations 1! Each simulation provides pupils ages 5 to 7 years with the opportunity to select variables, control time and view the results of their experiments as animations and/or dynamically generated tables and graphs that chart the results of each combination of variables over time. Seven interactive simulations are provided each with dynamically generated tables and graphs.

‘Questions’ mode provides a series of focused questions on the simulation at hand. It stimulates new ideas and intuitive ways to manipulate variables to observe different results. Click on the camera icon to print, copy or save a screen shot of the experiment at each day - then later retrieve the picture to place in a report! BBC Science Simulations 1 provides a unique opportunity for infants to explore seven virtual science investigations.

Teacher controls allow you to configure the access to specific simulations, questions, graph, or table view on or off. IWB settings tab allows Teachers to switch the main toolbars from the left of the screen to the right for ease of use when presenting with a whiteboard. Brief overview's of each simulation is available by selecting the information tab, or view student records both found in teacher controls! Perfect for whiteboards!

Simulations include:

• Exercise and Health - Select the exercise type, and fitness level to view the effect on breathing rate and energy level.
• Plants and Growth - Manipulate the levels of water and light and observe how the plant grows over a 30-day period.
• Food Chains - Select the starting numbers of pondweed, small creatures and fish within the pond and observe the changes to the animal and plant populations over 15 weeks.
• Changing Materials - Heat and cool a variety of common materials to observe the changes that occur.
• Using Electricity - Explore making and changing simple electrical circuits by dragging items such as wires, batteries, bulbs, and motors onto predefined positions. If the circuit is complete, it will work!
• Forces and Movement - Select the force and surface type, launch the metal disc and observe how far it travels.
• Light and Dark - Explore how light affects what we see by dragging a variety of objects and light sources onto a stage area.

REVIEWS:

"I am extremely impressed with many aspects of this programme and feel that it is an excellent additional tool for our science teaching. The graphics are bright, clear and the whole set-up easy to use and follow."

"When I tried [the Simulation on Food Chains] it was very lively with so many children having different ideas and when we finally achieved a balance in the river it sounded as though we had just won the FA Cup Final!"

"There are three discs available in this series for the different age groups and all are engaging and attractive and add an extra dimension to our science teaching, I would recommend these highly."