Why Use Explore Science at Home?

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Parental engagement. 
That’s what they call it. 
It sounds official. A bit distant. 
But what it really means is this: children do better when home and school talk to each other. 

The Education Endowment Foundation say it could mean four months’ extra progress in a year. Four months. Just by linking up what happens in class with what happens at home. 

The trouble is… homework. 
It often doesn’t work. 
It gets left. It causes arguments. It gets lost in book bags. 
It’s not fair on families who don’t have time, space, or money to sit down with a pile of worksheets. 

So what if there was something different? 

That’s what Explore Science at Home is about. 

It’s one page. 
Just one. 
Easy to print. Easy to email. Easy to share. 

And it isn’t homework. 
There’s no ticking off. 
No pressure. 
Just ideas. 

A few questions you can ask on the school run. 
A couple of books or websites you can look at together (free if you use the library!). 
Some everyday noticing and wondering.  
Clouds in the sky, shadows on the wall, things that switch on and off. 
And if there’s time, a simple idea you can try at home with what you already have. 

And it introduces four scientists. 
Not just the same names you always hear. 
Scientists from different times. Different places. Different backgrounds. 
So every child can think: “That could be me.” 

Why use it? 
Because it’s quick for you. 
Because it opens the door for families. 
Because it builds reading, talk, curiosity, the very things the EEF say make the biggest difference. 
Because every little bit of engagement helps children learn. 

That’s Explore Science at Home. 
Not more homework. 
More wonder. 

References 

Education Endowment Foundation. (2021). Parental engagement: Guidance report. Education Endowment Foundation. https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/eef-guidance-reports/supporting-parents/EEF_Parental_Engagement_Guidance_Report.pdf 

Education Endowment Foundation. (2021). Teaching and learning toolkit: Homework (primary). Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/homework-primary 

Ofsted. (2023). Finding the optimum: The science subject report. Ofsted. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/subject-report-series-science