Hive Mind was a FREE online space where primary and intermediate teachers came together to celebrate and share creative ways of getting hands-on science into their classrooms. Although we’re no longer running Hive Mind, we’re grateful for the connections made and the many inspiring ideas that were shared.

You can request an email with all the links, materials, and ideas shared during past Hive Mind sessions, including contributions from teachers who attended. Plus, you'll get Science Learning Hub's resources for each topic, which you can use to create your own custom collections for your classroom.

• Low Cost, Low Risk, High Wow Science Activities!

• Light and Colour

• Citizen Science

• Fun Science

• Fizzing and Foaming: Literacy Links

• A in STEAM

• Playdough, Electricity & Geography

Get the resources today: Simply fill out the form to receive an automated email with all the links and materials, and start exploring these fantastic resources for your classroom!

Although we’re no longer running Hive Mind, we’re deeply grateful for the connections made and the many inspiring ideas shared along the way. A special thanks to Angela and Greta from the Science Learning Hub for their knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication to this project – and for becoming such great friends in the process!

If you’d like us to facilitate a similar session for your group or school, we’d love to explore the idea with you.

The Wonderful World of Bubbles

🥼 Science Learning Hub resources 

• Explore a range of educational resources, including Observing Water – Unit Plan (recorded PLD), Material World – Mixtures (recorded PLD), Balloons and Air Density, Observing Bubbles, and much more! [View all resources here]

🗣️Rārangi Kupu 

💭Discussion Starters 💭

• Did you see different colours in the bubbles? Watch as Science in a Van blows some GIANT bubbles and talks about what we can see.

• Emily put water and dish washing liquid together and made a mixture. How many things can we use this mixture for?

• When we mix water and cooking oil together - we observed that the yellow cooking oil went to the top of the bottle. Why do you think that happened.... even after we shook the bottle? Do you know of other things/materials that float?

• Near the end of show, Alan put helium inside some bubbles. Did they go up or down? Why did they behave differently to the other bubbles? Is helium lighter or heavier than the air around it? Why do you think that?

• In the show we saw water, oil, bubble mixture and cooking oil - these are all 'liquids'. This means that they can pour and take the shape of the container they go into. Can you think of any other liquids? What would happen if we mixed some of them together? Shall we try it?

• Remember - question, have a think (prediction/guess), test it out, make observations (use your senses, what's are we experiencing?) and then onto explanations (why did this happen?) .... and then you can start the cycle again as you'll probably have more questions :)

📺Keep scrolling down to find YouTube resources 

What's the Matter?

🥼Science Learning Hub resources 

• Explore a range of classroom resources, including Chemistry made simple – properties of matter (recorded PLD), Material World – Melting (recorded PLD), Solid to liquid to gas and Kitchen Science fun. [View all resources here]

🗣️ Rārangi Kupu

💭Discussion Starters 

• Why did Emily call the periodic table the 'Cupboard of the Universe'?

• Do you think Emily really has super powers? lol

• The formula for water is H20 - two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom coming together to make a molecule. Why do you think Emily referred to the formula as a 'recipe'?

• When Emily mixed vinegar and baking soda together we saw a reaction. We observed the glove expanding full of a gas called carbon dioxide. The glove got bigger but Emily didn't 'sneak in' any extra material.... hmmmm ... did it have more 'stuff'? (hint ... gases take up more room than solids and liquids).

• Can you remember the 'States of Matter' handshake? Hmmm, our hand is still the same but the space it takes up and the speed of it's movement changes throughout the handshake. How does this relate to the States of Matter? 

• Alan nearly poured a cup of blue water over your teacher's head! What happened to the water?

• Can you think of other super absorbent polymers? (eg: the stuff in babies nappies, instant snow).

• Here's a close up video of the super absorbent polymer from the show.

• Do you remember the can crushing experiment? Did we take anything out of the can? Or did everything just come closer together? Watch the 'Can Crush' experiment again close up!

• Did you like "Purple Potion of Papatoetoe"/Ph tester demo? Here's a resource that tells you how to make it and some ideas for classroom activities. We love it too - check us out (during lockdown) in our garage having fun with it!

• Remember - question, have a think (prediction/guess), test it out, make observations (use your senses, what's are we experiencing?) and then onto explanations (why did this happen?) .... and then you can start the cycle again as you'll probably have more questions :)

📸 Photos of the slides used in the show

🫖Instructions so you can make your own Red Cabbage Tea

📖 Kaiako Koha

Keep scrolling down the page to find 

📺YouTube resources 

🥼Science Learning Hub resources 

• Explore a range of classroom resources, including Physics made simple – force and motion (recorded PLD), Investigating the push of air, Skateboard forces and lots more! [View all resources here]

🗣️ Rārangi Kupu

💭Discussion Starters 

• How did the Biggest Goat move the Troll? Did they push or pull the Troll? Could they move the Troll without your help? (eg. The biggest force 'wins')

• How did the Middle Goat move the Troll?

• Why did the Middle Goat need to use the slippery piece of material? (eg. to cut down the friction/grippy force)

• Why did the Little Goat use a skateboard to move the Troll?

• Do you use anything with wheels? What makes these objects the same/different?

• Remember, we can't see forces but we can see what they do. eg. We can't see gravity but we know it pulls things to the ground.

Keep scrolling down the page to find 

📺YouTube resources 

🥼 Science Learning Hub resources 

• Explore a range of classroom resources, including Physics made simple – force and motion (recorded PLD), Forces and speed, Balloon car challenge and lots more! [View all resources here]

🗣️ Rārangi Kupu

💭 Discussion Starters 

• Remember the very first trick/demo in the show with the golf balls, tubes, tablemat and glasses of water? Watch this video that shows you what you’ll need and how to set it up. (Remember, something won't move until a force makes it! Push the tablemat ... not the glasses!)

• We had a 'small force' volunteer and the 'large force' volunteer lifting the shopping bag. Would it have been fair if the 'large force' volunteer used two hands and the 'small force' volunteer used one hand to lift the bag? When we do the scientific process, it's important to do 'fair testing' - why do you think fair testing is important?

• When we test, we can test over and over again and sometimes we can change one thing to learn something new. This is called changing a 'variable'. Would it be a good idea to change two variables at once? Why or why not?

• When (Small) Steve flew on his water rocket for the last time - which way did the water go and which way did Steve go? (This relates to Law 3 - When there's a force in one direction, there's a force in the opposite direction).

• All forces work in push and pulls eg: gravity pulls things to the ground. Can you google other forces - do they work in push or pulls (or both). Can you find examples around the school of things moving - can you identify which forces are in action?

Keep scrolling down the page to find 

📺YouTube resources 

📸 Photos of the slides used in the show

🥼Science Learning Hub resources 

• Explore a range of classroom resources, including Building Science Concepts: Exploring Sound (recorded PLD), Sound Detectives, Measuring sound and lots more! [View all resources here]

🗣️Rārangi Kupu

💭Discussion Starters 

• At the end of the show we used different sized chimes to play happy birthday. Each chime was a different length. How do you think that changed the sound each one made? Did the volume or pitch change?

• Alan cracked a whip and he broke the sound barrier. Do you know of any other examples of ways to break the sound barrier? How is this different to going faster than the speed of light?

• Remember the angry sausage? Why couldn't we hear it when Alan sucked all the air out of the jar?

• Have you ever screamed under water? Does sound work the same way then?

• Can you hear noise through solid materials?

• The first demo we did involved a very silly 'hat'. There were tubes running to each ear but something odd was going on when we 'dinged' the bell. Where was the sound coming from? Could you recreate this experiment in a different way?

• The straw kazoo made some very strange noises and it relied heavily on the vibrations created by blowing in it. Are there other wind instruments that work in a similar way?

📸 Photos of the slides used in the show

Keep scrolling down the page to find 

📺YouTube resources 

🥼Science Learning Hub resources 

• Explore a range of Science Learning Hub resources which make Chemistry EASY AZ.

🗣️Rārangi Kupu

💭Discussion Starters and classroom ideas 

• Google the 'Waterfall Effect'

• The first time we did the 'Swirl-a-Tron' demo you saw our head growing bigger, the second time something different happened - we changed a variable. Do you remember what it was?

• When we take two or more things and put them together, sometimes we can make a mixture. We mixed vinegar and baking soda together lots during the show. Each time a variable changed and we understood something new. Can you remember what happened each time? 

• What mixtures do you make in the kitchen?

• What happens when you mix oil and water together? Do they mix? Or do they separate?

• We mixed vinegar and baking soda together we saw a reaction. We then observed the same same experiment but using a bottle and a balloon on top. The balloon expanded with a gas called carbon dioxide. The balloon got bigger but we didn't 'sneak in' any extra material.... hmmmm ... did it have more 'stuff'? (hint ... gases take up more room than solids and liquids).

• The properties of a material are what they look like and how they behave. We can use all our senses to work out the properties of a material. It can be fun to figure out the properties of the materials you can find in your classroom and then put them into categories of ones that are similar (eg: books, pencils and chairs are all hard/solid).

• We nearly poured a cup of blue water over your teacher's head! What happened to the water?

• Can you think of other super absorbent polymers? (eg: the stuff in babies nappies, instant snow).

• Here's a close up video of the super absorbent polymer from the show.

• Why did we say that the properties of super absorbent polymers make them good to use in babies nappies?

• How did the vinegar and baking soda look after it was mixed? The Infrared Thermometer helped us but showing it also changed temperature too. If you recreate this experiment and hold the bottle - can you feel it getting warmer (exothermic reaction) or colder (an endothermic reaction)?  

• Don't forget to explore the 'hot ice experiment'.

• Did you like "Purple Potion of Papatoetoe"/Ph tester demo? Here's a resource that tells you how to make it and some ideas for classroom activities. We love it too - check us out (during lockdown) in our garage having fun with it!

• Remember, the scientific process is easy. It's all about ask a question, have a think (prediction/guess), test it out, make observations (use your senses, what's are we experiencing?) and then onto explanations (why did this happen?) .... and then you can start the cycle again as you'll probably have more questions :)

• Want to figure something else out? Change a variable and try the process again. 

♨️Click Heat Pad Instructions

To re-set

• Place the hardened pack into boiling water.

• Continue to boil for approximately 5 minutes or until crystals are completely liquefied. 

• Use tongs to remove the pack.

• The pack can be reused once it cools down.

To reheat

• Flex metal disc back and forth until crystals form.

• Knead pack to soften. The temperature can reach up to 50+ deg C (depends on physical environment).

• Want to buy your own? We purchased our from Marine Deals.

🫖Instructions so you can make your own Red Cabbage Tea

📖 Kaiako Koha

Keep scrolling down the page to find 

📺YouTube resources 

🥼Science Learning Hub resources 

• Explore a range of classroom resources, including Physics made simple – force and motion (recorded PLD), Forces and speed, Balloon car challenge, Do you see what I see? (Optical Illusions) and lots more! [View all resources here]

🗣️Rārangi Kupu

💭Discussion Starters and classroom ideas 

• Google the 'Waterfall Effect'

• Your teacher's bottom didn't explode on the chair of nails! Why did we ask your teacher to sit as far back on the nails as possible? Why would it be a bad idea to sit on one nail?

• Why didn't the water fall out of the glass when Alan did the hoop and glass demonstration?

• Try finding the balance point on different objects around the class. Why do they have different balance points? Remember gravity is the force that pulls things to the ground.

• Try to hover a ping pong ball above a hair drier (on cool setting lol). Google the 'Bernoulli Principle'

• Has anyone ever 'double bounced' someone on the trampoline? This is also an energy transfer - like the ball bounce experiment. If there's two people on a trampoline and one person makes the other person bounce higher - which one is the 'big ball' and which one is the 'small ball'?

• The Table Cloth Trick is an easy one to recreate. How about changing some variables? Does it matter what material the table cloth is made out of? Does it matter where the objects on top are placed? What happens when you pull the table cloth faster or slower?

• Here's a step-by-step video of how to do the tablecloth trick.

• All forces work in push and pulls eg: gravity pulls things to the ground. Can you google other forces - do they work in push or pulls (or both). Can you find examples around the school of things moving - can you identify which forces are in action?

• Remember, the scientific process is easy. It's all about ask a question, have a think (prediction/guess), test it out, make observations (use your senses, what's are we experiencing?) and then onto explanations (why did this happen?) .... and then you can start the cycle again as you'll probably have more questions :)

• Want to figure something else out? Change a variable and try the process again. 

• When we test, we can test over and over again and sometimes we can change one thing to learn something new. This is called changing a 'variable'. Would it be a good idea to change two variables at once? Why or why not?

Keep scrolling down the page to find 

📺YouTube resources