Energy Changes and Super Scientists – Infants 2 Science

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Energy makes things happen. It makes a fan spin, a lamp shine and a radio sing. Energy is never used up – it changes from one kind into another.

Energy changes

Thing	Energy goes in as …	and comes out as …
💡 lamp	electricity	light (and some heat)
🌀 fan	electricity	movement
📻 radio	electricity	sound
🔥 iron	electricity	heat
🚗 toy car with batteries	stored energy in the batteries	movement
🍌 you!	food	movement and heat

Save electricity

Switch off lights and fans when you leave a room.
Close the fridge door quickly.
Turn off the TV when nobody is watching.
Use sunlight in the day instead of lights.

⚠️ Safety: never touch plugs or sockets with wet hands, and never push anything into a socket.

Super scientists

A scientist asks questions and does tests to find answers. Here are some famous scientists:

Isaac Newton found out about pushes, pulls and why things fall.
Marie Curie discovered new materials and won two big science prizes.
George Washington Carver found hundreds of uses for peanuts and helped farmers.
Professor Julian Kenny of Trinidad studied our animals, plants and environment and wrote books about them.

Energy is never made from nothing and never destroyed. It only changes from one kind to another.

You are a scientist too, every time you look closely and ask “why?”

TRY ITEnergy explorers

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. What does a lamp change electricity into?

Show answer

Light (and a little heat).

2. What does a fan change electricity into?

Show answer

Movement.

3. Name two ways to save electricity at home.

Show answer

For example switch off lights and fans, close the fridge quickly, turn off the TV.

4. Why must you never touch a socket with wet hands?

Show answer

Water and electricity together can give you a dangerous shock.

5. What does a scientist do?

Show answer

Asks questions and does tests to find answers.

Quick check

1. Is energy used up?

Show answer

No. It changes into other kinds of energy.

2. Where does your body get energy?

Show answer

From food.

3. Name one famous scientist.

Show answer

For example Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, George Washington Carver, Julian Kenny.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

energy · electricity · light · heat · sound · movement · change · save · scientist

Try it at home

Go round your home with an adult. List things that use electricity and what energy they give out.
Be the family “energy monitor” for a week: tick each time you switch something off.
Make a poster about a scientist from Trinidad and Tobago or the Caribbean. Ask a grown-up to help you find one (doctors, nature scientists and engineers count too!).

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

identify energy changes in everyday appliances
suggest ways to save electricity
name some famous scientists and say what they did
describe what scientists do

The cards use a mix of world and Caribbean scientists. Look for local scientists in the news and add them to the conversation.

Previous: Homes in Water and on Land
Next: Infants 2 lessons (all subjects)

Homes in Water and on Land – Infants 2 Science

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

A habitat is the natural home of a plant or animal. It gives them food, water and shelter. Some habitats are in water and some are on land.

Water habitats

Rivers, ponds, swamps and the sea are water habitats. Fish, crabs, turtles and water lilies live in or near water. Fish have gills to breathe under water and fins to swim.

Land habitats

Forests, fields, gardens and even your backyard are land habitats. Agoutis, iguanas, birds, ants and trees live on land.

	Water habitat	Land habitat
Examples	pond, river, swamp, sea	forest, field, garden
Animals	fish, crab, turtle	agouti, goat, iguana, birds
Plants	water lily, mangrove	mango tree, grass, chaconia
Special body parts	gills, fins, webbed feet	legs for walking, wings, fur

Look closely

A habitat is a good home when it has what the animal needs. A fish would not live in a tree, and a goat would not live in the sea! Some animals, like frogs and crabs, can live both in water and on land.

TRY ITHabitats

Choose a game. Tap your answer.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. What is a habitat?

Show answer

The natural home of a plant or animal, where it finds food, water and shelter.

2. Name two water habitats.

Show answer

For example a river, pond, swamp, the sea.

3. Name two animals that live on land.

Show answer

For example a goat, agouti, iguana, ant.

4. Why can a fish not live on land?

Show answer

It breathes with gills, which need water.

5. Name an animal that lives in water and on land.

Show answer

For example a frog or a crab.

Quick check

1. Is the Caroni Swamp a water or land habitat?

Show answer

Water (a swamp).

2. Where do scarlet ibis feed?

Show answer

In the swamp.

3. Name a plant that lives in water.

Show answer

For example a water lily or mangrove.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

habitat · water · land · swamp · forest · shelter · gills · fins

Try it at home

Look for small habitats around your home: under a stone, in a plant pot, in a drain. Who lives there? (Look, do not touch.)
Draw a water habitat and a land habitat. Add three animals to each.
If you visit a beach or river, list the living things you see.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

explain what a habitat is
sort animals and plants into water and land habitats
describe how a habitat meets an animal’s needs

Remind children to wash hands after outdoor exploring and never to put hands under rocks where centipedes or scorpions might hide.

Previous: Sorting Things, Pushes and Pulls
Next: Energy Changes and Super Scientists

Attributions to media used in this post:

TnT Caroni Swamp 2.jpg – Grueslayer – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tobago – August 2013 (1530).JPG – Kalamazadkhan – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sorting Things, Pushes and Pulls – Infants 2 Science

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Scientists are great at sorting. They look closely and ask: what shape is it? What colour? How big? How does it feel? Then they find out how things move when we push or pull them.

Sorting by properties

shape: round, square, long
colour: red, blue, green …
size: big, small
texture (how it feels): rough like sandpaper or a coconut husk, smooth like glass or a marble

Record it in a table

Object	Shape	Colour	Size	Texture
marble	round	blue	small	smooth
coconut	round	brown	big	rough
book	rectangle	red	big	smooth
sponge	rectangle	yellow	small	rough

Pushes and pulls

A push moves something away from you. A pull moves something towards you. Pushes and pulls are called forces.

A push or pull can make a thing …	Example
start moving	kicking a still football
stop	catching a ball
speed up	pushing a swing harder
slow down	pulling back on a dog’s leash
change direction	hitting a cricket ball with a bat

TRY ITSort it, move it

Choose a game. Tap your answer.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. Name two things that feel rough.

Show answer

For example a coconut husk, sandpaper, tree bark, a rock.

2. Is opening a drawer a push or a pull?

Show answer

A pull.

3. Is closing a drawer a push or a pull?

Show answer

A push.

4. Name three things a push or pull can do to a moving thing.

Show answer

Any three: start it, stop it, speed it up, slow it down, change its direction.

5. Sort these by shape: ball, box, orange, book.

Show answer

Round: ball, orange. Box-shaped: box, book.

Quick check

1. A push moves something …

Show answer

Away from you.

2. What do we call pushes and pulls?

Show answer

Forces.

3. What word means how something feels?

Show answer

Texture.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

sort · shape · colour · size · texture · rough · smooth · push · pull · force · direction

Try it at home

Empty a drawer of safe objects. Sort them three different ways: by colour, by size, by texture.
Play marbles or roll a ball. Can you make it start, stop and change direction?
Make a list of pushes and pulls you do from waking up to going to school.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

sort objects by shape, colour, size and texture
tell whether an action is a push or a pull
explain how a push or pull can make an object start, stop, speed up, slow down or change direction

Previous: Healthy Food: The Six Food Groups
Next: Homes in Water and on Land

Attributions to media used in this post:

Child playing with unit blocks.jpeg – User:Ragesoss – CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Healthy Food: The Six Food Groups – Infants 2 Science

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Food gives us energy to play, learn and grow. But not all foods are healthy. In the Caribbean we sort foods into six food groups.

The six Caribbean food groups

Group	Examples
Staples	rice, bread, roti, dasheen, cassava, green fig, sweet potato
Legumes and nuts	red beans, pigeon peas, lentils (dhal), channa, peanuts
Foods from animals	chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cheese
Fruits	mango, orange, pineapple, banana, pawpaw
Vegetables	callaloo, carrot, pumpkin, tomato, bodi, ochro
Fats and oils	zaboca (avocado), coconut, butter, cooking oil

A healthy meal

A healthy meal has food from all six groups, or from as many as we can. Lots of fruits and vegetables, some staples and legumes, a little from animals, and only a small amount of fats and oils.

Too much of a bad thing

Sweets, sugary drinks and fried snacks taste nice, but too much can cause tooth decay, make us tired and unhealthy, and lead to illness when we are older. Choose water instead of soft drinks, and fruit instead of sweets.

TRY ITHealthy plate

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. Name the six Caribbean food groups.

Show answer

Staples, legumes and nuts, foods from animals, fruits, vegetables, fats and oils.

2. Which group is dhal in?

Show answer

Legumes and nuts.

3. Which group is callaloo in?

Show answer

Vegetables.

4. Name one food from animals.

Show answer

For example chicken, fish, egg, milk, cheese.

5. Why is water better than a soft drink?

Show answer

Soft drinks have lots of sugar, which harms teeth and health. Water keeps us healthy.

Quick check

1. What makes a meal healthy?

Show answer

It has food from all (or most) of the six groups, with lots of fruits and vegetables.

2. Which group should we eat only a little of?

Show answer

Fats and oils (and sweets are not a group – only a treat).

3. Is a roti a staple?

Show answer

Yes.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

food groups · staples · legumes · vegetables · fruits · fats and oils · healthy · balanced meal · energy

Try it at home

Look at your dinner tonight. Which food groups are on your plate? Which are missing?
Help plan a healthy lunch box with something from each group.
Draw a plate and colour in foods from all six groups.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

name and give examples of the six Caribbean food groups
explain that a healthy meal has food from all six groups
describe some effects of eating too many unhealthy foods

Previous: Watch a Seedling Grow
Next: Sorting Things, Pushes and Pulls

Attributions to media used in this post:

MISC Pelau.jpg – Grueslayer – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Watch a Seedling Grow – Infants 2 Science

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

A tiny seed can grow into a big plant! Today we plant a seed, watch it change and measure how much it grows.

How a seedling grows

🫘 seed – it needs water and warmth to start
🌱 a root grows down first
🌿 a shoot pushes up out of the soil
🍃 the first leaves open – now it is a seedling
🪴 it grows taller with more leaves

Measure it

Stand a strip of paper or a line of paper clips next to your seedling. Count how many clips tall it is. Do this every two days and write the number down.

Make a growth chart

Draw a bar for each day. A taller bar means a taller plant. Look at the chart: does your plant grow the same amount every time?

TRY ITGrowing chart

Choose a game.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. What grows first from a bean seed?

Show answer

The root.

2. What do we call a young plant with its first leaves?

Show answer

A seedling.

3. A seedling is 3 clips on Monday and 5 clips on Friday. How much did it grow?

Show answer

2 clips (5 − 3 = 2).

4. What does a taller bar on a growth chart mean?

Show answer

The plant was taller that day.

5. Name two things a seedling needs to keep growing.

Show answer

Water, sunlight, air and soil.

Quick check

1. Put in order: plant, seed, seedling.

Show answer

seed, seedling, plant.

2. What can we use to measure a seedling?

Show answer

Paper clips, a paper strip, blocks or a ruler.

3. Does a plant grow the same amount every day?

Show answer

Not always. Look at your chart to find out!

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

seed · root · shoot · seedling · grow · measure · taller · chart

Try it at home

Plant two or three beans (or corn or pigeon peas) in cups of soil. Keep the soil damp and the cups in a bright place.
Measure with paper clips every two days and fill in the chart in the activity.
Draw your seedling on day 2, day 6 and day 10. What changed?

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

describe how a seedling changes as it grows (seed, root, shoot, leaves)
measure a seedling with paper clips or paper strips
record heights on a simple chart and say what it shows
draw the stages of growth

Soaking beans overnight speeds things up. A clear cup lined with damp paper towel lets children see the roots.

Previous: Animals: Alike and Different
Next: Healthy Food: The Six Food Groups

Attributions to media used in this post:

Pinto Bean Plant Growth.jpg – Datadoggieein – CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Animals: Alike and Different – Infants 2 Science

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

A cat and a dog both have fur and four legs. A bird has feathers and two legs. Scientists sort animals into groups by looking at how they are alike (the same) and different.

Count the legs

Legs	Animals
2 legs	birds like the scarlet ibis, the cocrico and chickens; people
4 legs	dog, cat, goat, cow, agouti, iguana
6 legs	insects: butterfly, ant, bee, beetle
no legs	fish, snakes, worms

Wings

Birds, butterflies, bees and bats have wings. Most of them can fly. A chicken has wings but can only flutter a little.

Body coverings

fur or hair: dog, cat, agouti
feathers: all birds
scales: fish, snakes, iguanas
shell: turtles, snails

Insects

An insect’s body has 3 parts: the head, the thorax (middle, where the legs and wings join) and the abdomen (the back part). Insects have 6 legs. A spider has 8 legs, so a spider is not an insect!

TRY ITAnimal groups

Choose a game. Tap your answer.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. How many legs does a cow have?

Show answer

2. What covers a bird’s body?

Show answer

Feathers.

3. Name an animal with scales.

Show answer

For example a fish, snake or iguana.

4. Name the three body parts of an insect.

Show answer

Head, thorax, abdomen.

5. How are a bat and a bird alike? How are they different?

Show answer

Alike: both have wings and can fly. Different: a bat has fur, a bird has feathers.

Quick check

1. Is an ant an insect? How do you know?

Show answer

Yes. It has 6 legs and 3 body parts.

2. Which group: dog, cat, agouti?

Show answer

4 legs and fur.

3. Name an animal with no legs.

Show answer

For example a fish, snake or worm.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

alike · different · group · legs · wings · fur · feathers · scales · insect · head · thorax · abdomen

Try it at home

Look closely at an ant or a fly (do not touch!). Count its legs and body parts.
Make a scrapbook page: animals with fur, feathers and scales.
Play “Guess my animal”: describe the legs and covering, and the other person guesses.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

sort animals by number of legs (2, 4, 6), wings and body covering
name the three body parts of an insect
say how two animals are alike and how they are different

Encourage careful looking with a magnifying glass if you have one. Do not handle stinging insects or bring wild animals indoors.

Previous: Living or Non-living?
Next: Watch a Seedling Grow

Attributions to media used in this post:

Red postman butterfly (Heliconius erato).jpg – Charles J. Sharp – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Living or Non-living? – Infants 2 Science

October 4, 2026October 4, 2026 Aven BrisailLeave a comment

Look around you. A dog, a tree, a stone, a chair. Some things are living and some are non-living. How can we tell? Scientists look for the signs of life.

Signs of life

Living things:

move (even plants turn towards the light) 🌱
breathe 💨
feed – they need food and water 🍽️
grow bigger 📏
have young (babies, seeds or eggs) 🥚
sense things around them – see, hear, smell, feel 👀
get rid of waste 🚽

Non-living things

A stone, a car and a chair are non-living. A car moves, but it does not eat, grow or have babies. To be living, a thing must show all the signs of life (at some time in its life), not just one.

Tricky ones

A seed looks like it is doing nothing, but give it water and it grows – a seed is living. Fire seems to “grow” and “eat” wood, but it is not living – it does not have young or breathe like living things.

TRY ITLiving or non-living?

Choose a game. Tap your answer.

Let’s practise

Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.

1. Name three signs of life.

Show answer

Any three: moving, breathing, feeding, growing, having young, sensing, getting rid of waste.

2. Is a mango seed living or non-living?

Show answer

Living. Plant it and it can grow into a tree.

3. Is a bicycle living? Why?

Show answer

No. It moves only when we push it, and it does not eat, grow or have young.

4. Is a guppy living? Give two reasons.

Show answer

Yes. It swims (moves), eats, breathes, grows and has babies.

5. Name two non-living things in your classroom.

Show answer

For example a desk, a pencil, a book, a board.

Quick check

1. Does a living thing need food and water?

Show answer

Yes.

2. Is a cloud living or non-living?

Show answer

Non-living. It moves and changes, but it does not feed, breathe or have young.

3. How do we know a tree is living?

Show answer

It grows, takes in water and food, makes seeds and turns towards the light.

Words to know

Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?

living · non-living · signs of life · grow · breathe · feed · move · sense · young

Try it at home

Go on a living / non-living hunt in your yard. Make two lists.
Watch an ant or a bird for two minutes. Which signs of life can you see?
Plant a bean and watch it show the signs of life over two weeks.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

name at least three signs of life
sort things into living and non-living
give reasons for their choices using the signs of life

Some things were once living (a wooden chair, a dry leaf). That idea comes later – for now, “is it living now?” is enough.

Previous: Infants 2 lessons (all subjects)
Next: Animals: Alike and Different

Attributions to media used in this post:

TnT Asa Wright Aguti.jpg – Grueslayer – CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)