More information on Science Week 2026 - Bubbles

Science Week may be a highly anticipated event in your school’s calendar, but it can also feel like one more thing to organise in what is already a tightly-packed term. Developing Experts’ Science Week resources are already live, and we’ve shown how lessons don’t need to be complicated to be impactful. Our clear enquiry questions and carefully chosen resources make Science Week special – without it becoming overwhelming. 

Read on to discover more about what we’re focusing on this Science Week and our tips for making the most of the activities on offer. 

Making Science Week 2026 purposeful 

One way to make sure you’re getting the most out of Science Week is to keep returning to the central question. You could write it on the classroom’s whiteboard to display it clearly, ask pupils to rephrase it in their own words and keep returning to it at every step of the investigation. At the end of the lesson, ask pupils if they’ve answered their question. How do they know, or not know? 

Here’s what you can focus on at each key stage: 

• EYFS: prioritise talking and using precise language to describe what the children notice. Encourage the children to use words like smaller, larger, colourful and round to describe the bubbles they’re making. 
• Years 1-3: focus on prediction and recording. Support pupils to explain their reasoning behind what they think will happen, not just the result itself. 
• Years 4-6: make sure your pupils understand what makes a fair test before beginning. Discussing variables will help pupils understand the investigation more deeply. 
• KS3: build in time for evaluation, as pupils may need more structured guidance when reflecting on anomalies or limitations. Ask them to consider the consistency of their results and how reliability could be improved. 

Suggested timings

We recommend that for a standalone Science Week lesson, 60 minutes should be given to avoid rushing the investigation. A suggested structure might include: 

• 10-15 minutes introducing the question, answering any queries and planning 
• 25-30 minutes to complete the practical investigation 
• 15-20 minutes for recording, analysing and concluding

You can adapt the suggested timings to suit different age groups and pupil abilities. 

Practical tips for lesson delivery 

We recommend reading through resource lists in advance to make sure you have everything you need. Resources are listed in our Science Week lesson plans, which you can view here. 

Have spare bubble wands available – even the most carefully constructed designs can bend out of shape mid-lesson! We even have a video that will help you construct your own. Check it out here.

You could encourage pupils to work outdoors if weather and space allow for it. This makes clean-up easier and allows pupils to notice how wind, temperature and evaporation can affect their results. 

Finally, we recommend embracing unpredictability. Bubbles can pop and results can surprise you, but this is the essence of scientific enquiry. 

Developing Experts’ Science Week lessons for 2026 are now available to view on the platform – you can find them here.