This engaging resource pack combines our popular STEM Journal with hands-on investigations and experiments that explore how sound is created, travels, and is heard. Perfect for Key Stage 2 learners, children will investigate vibrations, sound waves, and hearing through practical science activities while documenting their discoveries in their STEM Journal.
Included Resources +
This pack includes seven activity sheets with accompanying lesson plans and a STEM Journal for recording sound investigations, observations, and scientific findings.
• STEM Journal — interactive notebook for recording sound investigations, observations, and scientific findings
• Sound Walk — outdoor investigation to identify and classify sounds in the environment
• Seeing Sound — visualise sound waves and vibrations through hands-on experiments
• Vibrations In Water — explore how sound creates vibrations using water
• Identifying Sounds — develop listening skills and sound recognition
• Earmuff Investigation — investigate how materials affect sound insulation and volume
• How We Hear — learn about the ear and how humans detect sound
Key Details +
• Year Group: Year 4 (ages 8–9)
• Key Stage: KS2
• Subject: Science
• Resource Type: Activity Sheets + Lesson Plans + STEM Journal
• Format: Instant PDF Download
• Number of Activities: 7
Curriculum Alignment +
Aligned to the Year 4 Science National Curriculum. Covers sound — identifying how sounds are made, associating some of them with something vibrating, recognising that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear, finding patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it, finding patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it, and recognising that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases. Cross-curricular links to Music (Identifying Sounds — listening and appraising) and outdoor learning (Sound Walk).
Teaching Tips +
Seeing Sound is the standout demonstration — stretch cling film over a bowl, sprinkle rice or salt on top, and hold a speaker or drum nearby to make the vibrations visible. Children are always amazed to see sound made tangible. Vibrations In Water works brilliantly with a tuning fork dipped into a bowl of water — the ripples make the concept of sound waves immediately clear. Earmuff Investigation works well as a fair test — use the same sound source at the same distance and test different materials (cotton wool, foam, fabric) for insulation. Sound Walk is ideal as a lesson opener to hook children into the topic before any formal teaching — record sounds on clipboards and classify them back in the classroom.
