FREE PRIMARY SCIENCE · Year 3
Sun, shade and hot surfaces
Why do some playground surfaces get so hot, and how can we make them cooler?
Students read example temperature data from a hot playground, test which coloured surface warms an ice cube fastest in the sun, then use what they learned to design a cooler corner of the school. Lessons 1 and 3 need only iPads; lesson 2 uses ice cubes, black and white paper and foil.
3 free lessons · Australian Curriculum v9
Lessons in this topic
Each lesson includes a teacher plan and activities. Check its materials label before teaching.
Hot spots
Which playground surfaces get hottest in the sun?
Open free interactive lesson →Dark or light?
Does the colour of a surface change how fast sunlight melts an ice cube?
Open free interactive lesson →Design a cool corner
How can we use science to make a hot playground corner cooler?
Open free interactive lesson →
How to use these lessons
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