Explore and play
Science games, simulations and discoveries for curious students.
Australian primary science · Years 3–6
More wondering.
More discovering.
Ready-to-teach lessons, investigations and games that help children think like scientists.
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Big Picture Science: connected systems, human impact, possible futures and solutions
Built by a primary science teacher
Bottlebrush Education is an independent teaching resource built by one Australian primary science teacher. It brings curriculum planning, practical investigations and simple digital activities into one place, with the aim of making science easier to teach in a busy school week.
It's teacher-built, continually improved and free for schools to use.
A few useful things to know
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Explore, games, lesson previews, curriculum planning and printable resources are free to browse. Approved teachers sign in to present full lesson slides, assign work and review student learning.
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Everything is free, including teacher presentation tools and My classes. Presenting and assigning require a free, approved teacher account. Students join using the class details provided by their teacher.
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Every lesson lists its equipment. Many need only an iPad or a shared screen; others use classroom materials. Look for the “No materials needed” label in the lesson library.
Choosing resources for your school? Read the information for schools → · Share with a teaching colleague →
Explore
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Cards, simulations and games. No sign-in needed.
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Practice lessons
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Choose your year, then a topic and lesson. Follow your teacher’s instructions for equipment. Practice work is not handed in to your teacher.
Science areas
Learn, investigate and play
Every area has a 📖 Learn, 🔬 Lab and 🎮 Play (chemistry has a 🕵️ Detective).
Quick chemistry missions
5–8 minutes each
Mission stamps aren’t saved: they reset when this page reloads. Shared iPad? Tap “New explorer” before you begin.
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF OUR WORLD
Meet the elements.
What’s in a pencil? A leaf? A wire? Tap an element to find out.
✦
1 element explored
Your discoveries this visit
The periodic table
Every square is a different kind of atom.
Noble gases
The number counts protons in one atom. Elements go in number order. Swipe sideways to see more of the table.
Elements are ingredients.
An element contains just one kind of atom. Different elements can join together to make new substances.
H+O=H₂O
Water has 2 hydrogen atoms for every 1 oxygen atom. Water is a compound, not an element. This is a recipe, not a reaction equation.
Can you crack
the element clues?
Meet the elements hiding in pencils, wires and the air around you.
CASE FILE / ELEMENT CLUES
Detective games
Use the clues. Take your time. Learn with every guess.
THE EXPERIMENT BENCH
Let’s test it.
Pick an experiment. Predict, test, then explain what changed.
LAB
STAMPS
STAMPS
0 / 16 lab stamps
Reach an experiment’s goal to earn its stamp. Stamps reset when this page reloads.
Bench codes such as “Mm” are made up for this lab. They are not real element symbols. Brighter tiles suit your year level, but every experiment is open to everyone.
What happens when we add heat?
This model shows water, a compound of hydrogen and oxygen.
Predict what will happen, then add or remove heat.
A simplified model: each dot stands for a water molecule. Dots are not shown to scale.
What melts in your hand?
Heat and cool five samples. Which change state, and which turn into something new?
A screen model with rounded temperatures. The thermometer marks are evenly spaced, not to scale. Chocolate and butter melt over a range a little above 30°C. Never touch hot things or unknown metals in real life.
Years 3–4 · Adding or removing heat changes state · AC9S5U04 · Burning links to AC9S6U04
Pick the right material for the job.
Every material has properties. Match each job with a material that has what it needs.
Real products often combine materials. Some jobs have more than one good answer.
Years 3–4 · Properties of fibres, metals, glass and plastics · AC9S4U04
Has the salt disappeared?
Compare salt before dissolving, in a solution and after the water evaporates.
Water moleculeSodium ion (+)Chloride ion (−)
A magnified model, not to scale. Table salt contains sodium and chloride ions, not pieces of sodium metal or chlorine gas.
Make a prediction
Could a paper filter remove the dissolved salt?
Check your thinking
A normal paper filter does not remove dissolved salt. Evaporation can leave the salt behind.
Years 5–6 · Mixtures and reversible changes · AC9S6U04
Element, mixture or compound?
Compare the atoms and how they are joined. Each colour represents one element.
H · HydrogenO · Oxygen
Separate examples, not a reaction simulation. Mixing hydrogen and oxygen does not simply make water. Molecules and bonds are simplified and not to scale.
Look closely
How is the mixture different from the water compound?
Reveal a clue
In the mixture, hydrogen and oxygen molecules are separate. In water, hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms are bonded together in each molecule.
Years 5–6 · Mixtures · AC9S6U04 · Compounds are enrichment
What makes an element itself?
Choose an element, then explore its protons and electrons.
A simplified shell model of a neutral atom. Rings show energy levels, not actual electron paths. Sizes and distances are not to scale. Neutrons are not drawn; most nuclei contain them too.
Enrichment · An element’s atomic number counts its protons
Can you light the bulb?
Choose a material to bridge the gap, then close the switch.
An idealised low-voltage circuit diagram. Material properties are simplified. Pencil graphite conducts much less well than metal, so real results vary. This activity is a screen model.
Predict, then test
Does closing the switch always light the bulb? What else matters?
Years 5–6 · Conductors, insulators and circuits · Years 3–4 · Material properties · AC9S4U04
Can you un-mix it?
Each mixture needs the right tool. Use what you know about each part’s properties.
Simplified pictures, not to scale. Real separations are rarely perfect: a little sand or flour can sneak through.
Years 5–6 · Mixtures can be separated · AC9S6U04
Reversible or irreversible?
Sort ten everyday changes. Can you get the original substance back?
Years 5–6 · Reversible and irreversible changes · AC9S6U04
Which nail rusts first?
Four iron nails, four conditions, one week. Predict, then watch the days go by.
A sped-up screen model of a classic classroom investigation. Real results vary with the nails, the water and the temperature.
Years 5–6 · Rusting is an irreversible change · AC9S6U04 · Fair testing
Which wrap keeps a drink warm?
Wrap a cup of warm water in different materials. Which one slows down the cooling most?
A screen model using typical cooling values. Real results depend on the cup, the thickness of the wrap and the room.
Years 3–4 · Material properties influence their use · AC9S4U04 · Fair testing
What makes sugar dissolve faster?
Set up two cups. Change one thing, then race them. Is your test fair?
Times are rounded model values, sped up to a few seconds. Real times depend on the amounts and temperatures you use.
Years 5–6 · Solutions are mixtures · AC9S6U04 · Fair testing
Where does rain come from?
Follow water around the world. At each step, choose what happens next.
A simplified picture. Real water can take many paths, and some of it stays underground or in ice for a very long time.
Years 3–4 · The water cycle · AC9S4U02 · Changes of state · AC9S5U04 · AC9S4U02 (Year 4)
Which balloon will float?
Fill identical balloons with different gases. Predict, then let go.
A screen model. Gas masses are rounded values at about 20°C. Hydrogen catches fire easily, so this test only happens on screen.
Enrichment · Comparing the density of gases
Build your own atom.
Add protons and electrons. What decides the element? What makes an ion?
A simplified shell model. Neutrons are not shown. Rings show energy levels, not real electron paths, and nothing is to scale.
Enrichment · Protons decide the element; electrons decide the charge
Build a molecule.
Follow the recipe and count the atoms. Which molecules are elements, and which are compounds?
Real molecules form through chemical reactions. This builder only checks which atoms a molecule has and how many. Atom sizes and bond lengths are not to scale.
Enrichment · Atoms join to make molecules