Homeschool → New Zealand → Year 3 → Science

Year 3 science

In Year 2, children learn that living things grow, change and have young that often look like their parents. They mix materials and observe what happens, think about how we use and save Earth's resources such as water, and investigate how pushes and pulls make things start, stop and change direction.

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

Growing and changingTopic outlineChildren explore life cycles, such as a frog growing from egg to tadpole to adult and a joey growing in its mother's pouch, and compare young with their parents.

Chemical sciences

Mixing materialsFull lesson · 40 minChildren mix materials such as salt, sand, oil and water, observe what happens, and notice that some mixtures can be separated again.

Earth and space sciences

Water: a precious resourceTopic outlineChildren learn where our water comes from, how it is used at home and on farms, and simple ways to save water in a dry country like Australia.

Physical sciences

Pushes and pullsFull lesson · 40 minChildren investigate how pushes and pulls make objects start moving, speed up, slow down, stop or change direction, using toy cars and balls.

Science as a human endeavour

How scientists ask questionsTopic outlineChildren learn that science is about asking questions and finding answers, and meet people who use science in their jobs, such as vets, farmers and weather forecasters.

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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.