Environmental Science at Home

Course summary

• Ages: 8–14, with simplify and extend notes for mixed-age households
• Prerequisites: none
• Length: eight modules, typically eight weeks at two sessions a week
• Format: self-paced online lessons plus a downloadable parent guide and student pages
• Access: 12 months from enrolment
• Supervision: parent-led; no specialist knowledge needed

What learners will be able to do

• Explain how energy and matter move through an ecosystem
• Build and maintain a small closed system and interpret what happens in it
• Carry out a household audit of water, waste and energy and present the data
• Distinguish an observation from an inference
• Describe a local environmental issue and evaluate two possible responses
• Communicate findings clearly to someone who was not there

Curriculum

1. Systems thinking — what an environment actually is
2. Habitats near you — a survey of your own patch
3. Food webs — building and breaking one
4. Water in the system — the cycle, the watershed, the household
5. Mini ecosystem project — build, observe, record over four weeks
6. Waste and materials — the household audit
7. Energy at home — measuring and reducing
8. Your local issue — research, evaluate, present

What is included

• Eight modules of self-paced lessons
• A parent guide that explains each concept before you teach it
• Downloadable student pages, data tables and project frames
• A four-week mini-ecosystem project that runs alongside the course
• Module checks and a final presentation brief
• Certificate of Completion

What you need

• A device with a current browser
• A jar, soil, small plants or moss for the ecosystem project
• Everyday household items for the audits — nothing needs buying in

Access and refunds

• Access begins as soon as your payment is confirmed. You will receive an enrolment email with your login and a Start Here guide.
• You need an account so your progress is saved. You can create it during checkout.
• Works on a laptop, tablet or phone in any current browser. Nothing to install.
• Access runs for 12 months from enrolment, and you can revisit any lesson during that time.
• Refunds: you may request a refund within 7 days of enrolment if you have consumed less than 20% of the course — measured by lessons marked complete and files downloaded. After that, or once downloadable course files have been taken, the purchase is final. This does not affect rights you have under mandatory consumer law. See the Refund & Cancellation Policy and Course Access Policy.
• A “Certificate of Completion” is issued at the end. It is a record of finishing this course — it is not an accredited qualification.

About the certificate

Learners who complete every lesson receive a Certificate of Completion. It records that the course was finished. Watershed Learning is not an accredited institution and does not award credit, grades or qualifications.

Common questions

Can I use it with two children of different ages?

Yes. Each module has a simplify note and an extend note, and the household enrolment covers your own children.

Do we need to go outdoors?

A balcony, a park or a pavement is plenty. Nothing requires a wild space.