Human Survival

In this science project, children revisit learning about humans from the Y1 projects 'Human senses' and 'Animal parts'. They link their previous learning about human timelines from the project 'Childhood' to new learning about life cycles. They construct life cycle diagrams for the first time, identifying the stages and processes and how humans change over time. Children relate their learning about the needs of pets from the 'Animal parts' project, identifying the needs of humans for survival before collecting and displaying data in a block graph.

Children learn what humans need to stay healthy. They learn about food groups and what constitutes a good diet and use their research skills to identify balanced diets. Children learn about the importance of regular exercise and the four types of exercise: aerobic, strengthening, stretching and balance. They then investigate whether they can improve their fitness over time. Good hygiene practices are discussed, such as hand and hair washing, with children looking for patterns in the frequency with which they do each practice. Finally, children conduct a simple comparative test to identify the importance of using soap when washing their hands.