Tensai Academy
Life Science
Animals
Young learners explore the amazing world of animals through observation, play, and simple classification.
Children learn to identify common animals, their sounds, and the basic needs of all living things - food, water, shelter, and care.
Kids learn to:
- Tell the difference between pets, farm animals, and wild animals
- Understand what animals eat
- Explore how animals move (walk, hop, crawl, swim, fly)
- Show kindness and respect to living creatures
Plants and Growing
Children discover that plants start from seeds and grow when given water, sunlight, and care.
Through hands-on planting, they watch real growth and change over time.
Kids learn to:
- Identify common plants and trees
- Plant simple seeds (beans, peas, flowers)
- Observe roots, stems, leaves, and flowers
- Understand what plants need to survive - light, air and nutrients.
Human Body Basics
(Five Senses and Body Parts)
This unit helps young learners explore themselves!
They use their senses to observe the world and understand how different body parts work together.
Kids learn to:
- Name major body parts
- Explore the five senses (touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing)
- Make simple observations (soft/hard, loud/quiet, bright/dim)
- Practice healthy habits like washing hands and staying active
Habitats
Children are introduced to different places where animals and plants live, such as forests, oceans, deserts, and more.
Kids learn to:
- Match animals to their habitats
- Understand that habitats provide food, water, and shelter
- Explore climate differences (hot, cold, wet, dry)
Living and Non-Living Things
This foundational concept helps young learners understand what makes something alive.
Kids learn to:
- Identify living things (plants, animals)
- Compare them to non-living objects (rocks, toys, furniture)
- Understand that living things grow and need food and water
What you need to know
You are alive! The chair you are sitting on is not alive. You breath, you eat, you drink and you move around. Animals and plants are also alive. even though plants may not be able to move the same way you can.
- Living things grow and change. Babies grow and eventually become adults.
- Plants need water and sunlight to grow. Plants make their own food from water and air.
- Animals, including people, need food and water to grow.
- The places where living things live are called Habitats.
Worksheets
Life Cycles
Children explore how living things change and grow through simple, visual examples.
Kids learn to:
- Butterfly metamorphosis
- Frog life cycle
- Plant life cycle
- Baby animals growing into adults
Weather and Seasons
Kids learn to observe the sky, track daily weather, and understand how seasons change throughout the year.
Weather is what the sky and the air outside are like, such as cold and cloudy. It also includes events like lighting, rainbows etc.
Climate is what the weather looks like in an area over a long period of time. Some places like deserts have hot dry climate. Other areas like the forests have warm, wet climate.
Kids learn to:
- Recognize sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, and snowy weather
- Dress appropriately for the weather
- Observe seasonal changes in plants and animals
Nature Exploration
This open-ended learning area develops curiosity and observation skills through outdoor discovery.
Kids explore:
- Rocks, leaves, sticks, shells
- Soil texture (wet, dry, soft, hard)
- Patterns in nature
- Simple scavenger hunts
Health
It is important to stay healthy. Eating healthy food is important. It is also important to drink plenty of water, do exercise and get enough rest including sleep.
Healthy food includes carbohydrates (carbs - for energy), protein - for growth and development, fruits and vegetables - for vitamins and other nutrients.
Taking Care of the World
The earth needs plants and animals including large trees, small shrubs, grasses etc. Plants provide animals with food, shelter and places to hide from danger. Plants also help to keep the air clean.
Trash has to be disposed off appropriately. Where possible, ensure to recycle everything that can be recycled such as glass bottles, soda cans, plastic containers, metal tins, cardboard boxes, paper etc.
It is good to plant trees and ensure the soil is covered.
Reuse all items that can be used again and again.
Use as little energy as necessary. Ensure light bulbs are switched off when not in use.
Physical Science
Properties of Materials
Children explore different materials using their senses - touching, comparing, sorting, and describing.
Kids learn terms like:
- Soft / hard
- Rough / smooth
- Bendable / stiff
- Heavy / light
Solids, Liquids, and Gases
Use visual and sensory play to introduce the different states of matter. Playing with water can be an ideal way to learn these concepts.
Kids learn that:
- Solids keep their shape
- Liquids pour and flow
- Gases are invisible but all around us (air!)
Motion & Movement
Through playful experiments with balls, cars, and ramps, children discover how things move.
Bikes, rocks, chairs, a house, are all examples of non-living things. Unlike living things, non-living things cannot move on their own, they need energy for them to move. Energy maybe provided by a person, like when you push the dining chair to your favorite spot, or energy may be in form of electricity or fuel used to move a car or a toy.
Magnets are objects that can push or pull other objects made from some kind of metals.
Kids learn:
- Push and pull
- Fast and slow
- How height affects speed
- That force makes things move
Magnets
Magnets are fascinating! This unit introduces magnetic attraction in a simple, hands-on way.
Kids learn to:
- Test objects to see if they are magnetic
- Sort magnetic vs. non-magnetic items
- Explore attraction and repulsion
Sink and Float
Objects that are not heavy will float on water. Heavy objects will often sink in water.
Kids learn:
- Some objects float
- Some objects sink
- Predictions: “What do you think will happen?”
Light and Shadows
Children explore how light helps us see and how shadows are formed.
Kids learn:
- Light sources (sun, lamp, flashlight)
- How shadows form
- How shadows change shape and size
Sound
Kids learn about loud and soft sounds, vibrations, and simple sound-making tools.
Kids learn:
- That sound comes from vibrations
- How to identify sounds in their environment
- To create simple instruments
Simple Machines
Children explore early engineering principles through play.
Kids explore:
- Ramps (inclined planes)
- Levers (seesaws)
- Wheels on toy cars
Concepts learn these concepts through building and experimenting.
Earth and Space
Day and Night
We get day and night because the Earth spins (or rotates) on an imaginary line called its axis and different parts of the planet are facing towards the Sun or away from it.
It takes 24 hours for the world to turn all the way around, and we call this a day. Over a year, the length of the daytime in the part of the Earth where you live changes.
Kids explore:
- Daytime vs. nighttime activities
- The sun gives us light and warmth
- The moon and stars appear at night
The Solar System
We live on Earth. Earth is one of 8 planets. It is the third from the sun. All planets move around the sun, which is located in the center of the solar system.
The 8 planets are:
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
Sun, Moon, and Stars
A simple introduction to space through storytelling and observation.
Kids learn to:
- Recognize the sun, moon, and stars
- Notice moon shapes
- Understand basic patterns (sunrise, sunset)
Earth Basics (Land, Water, Air)
Kids explore the main parts of our planet using models, sensory bins, and outdoor play.
Kids learn:
- The Earth is covered by land and water
- Air is all around us even though we cannot see it
Recycling & Caring for the Earth
Focusing on simple actions like the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), saving energy (lights off, less water), and getting outside to connect with nature, using fun activities like trash-to-treasure crafts and scavenger hunts to make it engaging and show how small choices help our planet by saving resources and reducing landfill waste.
Kids learn:
- Sort materials for recycling
- Reduce waste (Use less)
- Reuse (Use Again)
- Recycle (Make New Things)
- Care for plants and animals
- Keep their environment clean
Soil, Rocks, and Sand
A sensory-rich exploration of the natural materials beneath our feet.
Kids learn:
- Soil types (soft, gritty, sticky)
- Rock shapes and sizes
- Sand play and structure building
Tensai wishes you the best as you prepare to start Elementary school. Science is fun, enjoy it!!
