Engage in Primary Science Week with resources, competitions and events for both kaiako and ākonga!
NZAPSE is proud to bring another Primary Science Week to life and thank all our wonderful partners and organisations who support schools to get involved in bringing science to life in their classrooms! Keep an eye out for upcoming releases to help you prepare!
Expect to see favourites such as:
- Primary Science Week Competition with great prizes!
- Live Q&A with a Scientist! Hosted by Science Alive and Science Learning Hub
- New resources to try in the classroom with your ākonga!
SLH: Exploring carbon: activities for primary classrooms
23 April 2026 – 23 April 2026 – Recording coming very soon!
Region(s): Nationwide
Type(s): Professional Development
Join the Science Learning Hub, Science Alive, the House of Science and the primary science team at NZAPSE in a session which will bring learning about carbon to life
Join us for a webinar designed specifically for Aotearoa New Zealand primary teachers. In this webinar, we’ll explore practical, classroom‑ready science activities that help learners understand carbon – its properties, how it cycles, and why it matters for our environment and communities.
The Science Learning Hub will be joined by Science Alive, the House of Science and the New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators (NZAPSE) and together we’ll unpack simple practical activities and share free online resources.
Whether you’re building your confidence in teaching science or looking for new ways to grow an understanding of carbon with your students – this webinar will provide ideas you can use for Primary Science Week 2026 or whenever you want to explore the wonders of carbon.
This session will be valuable for primary school teachers.
Ask a scientist – Professor Louis Schipper
06 May 2026 – 06 May 2026
11:45 am–12:30 pm
Region(s): Nationwide
Type(s): presentations
Join Science Alive and Science Learning Hub for a live chat with an expert in the field of carbon – Professor Louis Schipper, an environmental scientist and Professor at the University of Waikato.
As we explore the theme of Primary Science Week 2026, ākonga will have the opportunity to ask Louis their own hard hitting questions about carbon.
Get your class involved by brainstorming questions together. You might like to ask things like:
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Where do we find carbon?
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What does carbon look like?
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How did scientists discover carbon?
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a form where you can submit two questions from your students for Louis to answer during the session.
For more information and to register go to: www.sciencealive.co.nz/events/ask-a-scientist.
This webinar is hosted by Science Alive and Science Learning Hub and is FREE to attend – Don’t miss out!
Science Week Competition- Carbon Detectives: show us the evidence!
This Science Week, we’re inviting Year 1–8 students across Aotearoa New Zealand to become carbon detectives. Catch That Carbon is a nationwide competition where students, classes, or whole schools share what they’ve discovered about carbon and the evidence behind it.
All entries need to show three things — evidence used, a connection to carbon, and learning explained in students’ own words.
Ideas to get you started
- Carbon in living things — trees, soil, oceans, or the human body
- The carbon cycle and how carbon moves through air, land, and sea
- Carbon and climate — greenhouse gases, emissions, and solutions
- How nature (and people) capture and store carbon
- Carbon in everyday life — food, materials, energy, or transport
Enter via our NZ Primary Science Teachers Facebook Page. or email [email protected] for a chance to win! Competition runs for the month of May to let you explore Carbon: closes Sunday 6pm 31st May.
Exciting prizes- Science Books and Science Equipment from our supporters LearnWell and Delta Educational and science based books for your school (thanks to NZASE).
By entering, you confirm that:
- You have permission from anyone featured in your entry, and if children are included, their parent/caregiver consent has been obtained.
- You agree to your entry being shared within the Facebook group, on the NZAPSE website, and other NZAPSE channels.
Entries will be judged by NZAPSE committee members on creativity, effort, and following the instructions.
Winners will be contacted directly and announced on our Facebook page and website.
Full Terms & Conditions: https://nzapse.nzase.org.nz/competition/
Keep up to date with all the goings on here and on the NZ Primary Science Teachers Facebook Page.