New Odd One Out activities

Take a look at Explorify’s new Odd One Out activities covering all age groups and a range of topics.

We have made a few tweaks to our successful format. For instance, in the background science section of the activity you will find we have added a Watch out for which looks at children’s common misconceptions. As there is no right or wrong answer with Odd One Outs, we don’t suggest you correct misconceptions during the session, but it will help you spot them so you can plan to pick them up later.

We have also strengthened the Take It Further section giving you more ideas about how you can use the activity to develop scientific enquiry in the classroom. For example, What is inside flowers? looks at reproduction in flowering plants and suggests how you can dissect flowers and reveal the different parts, as well as how you can use drama to help the children understand pollination.

Ages 5 – 7

Tall trunks compares three different tree trunks (Silver birch, Plane and Horse Chestnut) and introduces the idea that not all tree trunks look the same. This can be used together with the Zoom In Zoom Out Craggy surfaces  before going outside and exploring local trees and trying a spot of bark rubbings.

Flappy friends compares three birds (penguin, duck and sparrow) and aims to tease out children’s common misconceptions about birds: do they all have feathers? Can they all fly? Children will enjoy finding out more about birds and comparing different bird sounds using this very child-friendly RSPB website.

Ages 7 – 9

Give it a pull looks at forces, comparing pushes and pulls with magnetic force. The suggested activities focus on magnetism working at a distance and include a link to a fun ‘escape the maze’ magnet game that children could make.

What is inside flowers? compares the inside of three flowers, giving the children the chance to compare the stamen and carpel of different flowers.

Where is the water? and Sensing evaporation  look at changing states in different ways. Where is the water? compares three different examples of water vapour condensing, perfect for using once children have been introduced to the idea. It also has some good tips for demonstrating condensation in the classroom. Sensing evaporation compares a reed diffuser, hand sanitiser and a scented candle, which use evaporation either to spread a scent or speed up drying. The time taken using now-familiar hand sanitiser could be compared with the traditional way of washing and drying hands.

Tall trunks and Pollution everywhere also link well to work on habitats.

Ages 9 -11

Pollution everywhere compares light and noise pollution as well as air pollution. Children can research the impact of light and noise pollution on animals around the world, or make a pollution catcher to investigate local air pollution.

Making work easier compares three different pulleys and will be useful when you are teaching forces. You could follow up by exploring pulleys in the classroom or out-of-doors, and there are some great links to Practical Action activities.

There are three new resources focusing on adaptation and evolution. Fantastic foxes  has two different images of an arctic fox, one in winter and another in summer, as well as the familiar red fox. Children could then research fox adaptations, or those of another animal.  Adapted to eat ants  compares three fascinating mammals who all eat ants or termites. Found in different parts of the world, similar adaptations have evolved in each of the species, enabling each one to survive in its own habitat. The drinks menu shows three very different animals, two of which have adapted to change ice, snow or water vapour into liquid water that they can drink.

All of the activities for younger children will work just as well with older children.

For guidance, about how to run an Odd One Out in the classroom look at this blog. They are designed to promote talk and higher order thinking in the classroom and provide a great formative or summative assessment tool. You can use them to find out what children already know or to assess what they have learnt further into a topic.

We hope you enjoy the new activities. Let us know what you think as it will help guide us as we create more great Explorify activities. Contact us using Twitter, Instagram or our Facebook staffroom.