Making the New Science Curriculum Work for Young Learners

Keeping curiosity, investigation and discovery alive in the new Science curriculum.

Online webinar | 90 minutes | Time and date to be confirmed

Not another boring Ministry curriculum webinar!

Science should be one of the most exciting learning areas for young children.

After all, young learners are already natural investigators. They wonder why things happen, experiment with materials, test their ideas, notice patterns, ask endless questions and try to make sense of the world around them.

So how do we protect that curiosity while meeting the expectations of a more prescribed Science curriculum?

And how do we avoid turning science into another collection of facts to deliver, worksheets to complete and curriculum boxes to tick?

That's exactly what this webinar is about.

Our in-person Making the New Curriculum Work for Young Learners workshops have already supported teachers to find practical, developmentally appropriate ways forward. Here's what participants have shared:

“Longworth has a way of taking something that feels overwhelming and helping you see a practical way forward. I've come away with ideas I can actually use in my classroom, without compromising what I know works for kids.”

— In-person workshop participant, September 2026

“This was exactly the professional learning I needed. It helped me think about how to meet curriculum expectations without losing sight of how young children actually learn. I left feeling encouraged and with some really useful ideas.”

— In-person workshop participant, September 2026

Now we're bringing that same practical, thought-provoking approach online, with two focused webinars designed for teachers who couldn't join us in person.

The new Science curriculum brings changes to the knowledge and content children are expected to learn. But knowing what children need to learn is only part of the challenge.

The more important question for teachers is how we teach that knowledge in ways that are meaningful, engaging and developmentally appropriate.

This practical 90-minute webinar will explore how to interpret the new Science curriculum for Years 1–3 without losing the investigation, experimentation, questioning and discovery that make science so powerful for young learners.

We'll look beyond the curriculum statements to consider what science can actually look, sound and feel like in a busy junior classroom.

What we'll explore

During this interactive session, we'll consider how to:

• Make sense of the structure and key expectations of the new Science curriculum for Years 1–3.

• Identify the scientific knowledge and understandings that matter most for young learners.

• Translate prescribed curriculum content into practical, hands-on learning experiences.

• Connect scientific concepts with children's natural curiosity, questions, investigations and play.

• Support children to observe, predict, experiment, explain and develop their working theories.

• Make meaningful connections between science, oral language, literacy, mathematics and other learning areas.

• Recognise the science already happening in children's everyday classroom experiences.

• Retain opportunities for exploration, creativity and professional judgement within a more structured curriculum.

Less PowerPoint. More possibility.

This isn't a webinar where we'll simply walk through curriculum documents and tell you what you're now required to teach.

We'll examine practical classroom examples, explore possibilities for implementation and consider how teachers can create meaningful science learning without needing elaborate resources, complicated planning or additional hours in the school day.

We'll also tackle some of the tensions associated with curriculum reform, particularly the challenge of balancing prescribed knowledge with children's developmental needs and their natural ways of learning.

Because teaching science shouldn't mean removing the very curiosity that makes children scientists in the first place.

You'll leave with

• A clearer understanding of the new Science curriculum for Years 1–3.

• Practical ideas for bringing scientific concepts to life through investigation and exploration.

• Examples of how everyday classroom experiences can support intentional science teaching.

• Strategies for integrating science with other curriculum learning areas.

• Greater confidence in designing learning that builds scientific knowledge while protecting curiosity and discovery.

A new curriculum doesn't have to mean abandoning everything we know about how young children learn.

There is still room for wonder, experimentation, discovery and joy. Our challenge is to be intentional about making that happen.

Come along for a practical, engaging and hopeful conversation about how we can make the new Science curriculum work for our youngest learners.

Who should attend?

Teachers working in Years 1–3, junior school team leaders, curriculum leaders, deputy principals, principals and PLD professionals supporting curriculum implementation.

Presented by Dr Sarah Aiono and Linda Cheer | Longworth Education

Independent, research-informed professional learning, grounded in the realities of New Zealand classrooms.