Homeschool → New Zealand → Year 2 → Science

Year 2 science

In Year 1, children look closely at the features of animals and plants and where they live. They change the shape of materials by bending, squashing and stretching, notice changes in the sky and landscape, and explore how sounds are made. They begin recording what they observe with simple drawings and tables.

Awaiting educator review. This material was drafted by our content team with AI assistance and is waiting for review by a qualified educator. Please check it suits your child before using it. Created 10 October 2026.

Biological sciences

Chemical sciences

Changing the shape of materialsFull lesson · 35 minChildren squash, bend, twist and stretch materials such as play dough, paper and pipe cleaners and describe how the shape changes.

Earth and space sciences

Changes in the sky and landTopic outlineChildren observe the Sun, Moon and clouds over a day and notice how places like gardens and creeks change after rain or across seasons.

Physical sciences

Making soundsFull lesson · 35 minChildren discover that sounds are made when things vibrate, and explore loud, soft, high and low sounds with simple home instruments.

Science inquiry

Observing and recordingTopic outlineChildren ask simple questions, make careful observations and record them using drawings, ticks in tables and simple words.

Plan with these topics

Curriculum notes

Australian Curriculum v9.0. Topics are organised around the Australian Curriculum v9.0 Science strands and sub-strands. This is an independent learning resource; it is not endorsed by ACARA and has not been mapped to individual content descriptions.

These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to New Zealand year levels by age (NZ Year 1 is the first year of school). They are not yet mapped to The New Zealand Curriculum, so check them against your own learning programme.