Streams Learning Hub
Jo & Sarah (Streams Learning Hub) and Ben (Science Creates Outreach) at Aquarium for early planning session in February.
iGCSE Marine Science
We’re excited to announce an official partnership with Jake to offer a hybrid learning journey!
Jake, who comes highly recommended in home ed communities, will be running a dedicated online iGCSE Marine Science course for learners in the Bristol area/South West.
His live teaching sessions will take place weekly on Mondays from 12:30 to 2:00 pm, running from June 2025 to June 2026 with four weeks off during the year. All sessions will be recorded for students who can’t attend live.
All bookings for the course will be made directly with Jake through Humanatees Tutoring, as he is fully responsible for delivering the online sessions. We are excited to support this by facilitating in-person practical sessions (see below).
Jake's course is costed monthly:
12 x payments of £30
plus deposit of £20 = £380
Contact Jake if you have questions here.
The IGCSE format allows practical work to be taught theoretically, but hands-on experience makes learning much more engaging! That’s why, with Jake’s support, we’re excited to introduce six in-person practical days starting in September. Led by our brilliant Learning Guide & Science Lead, Sarah Apsey, these sessions will take place on Fridays—see the dates below.
Practical workshops will be held at either:
🐠 Bristol Aquarium https://www.bristolaquarium.co.uk/
🧪 Science Creates Learning Lab https://sciencecreatesoutreach.co.uk/
Cost: £41.50 per session*
All Aquarium workshops include day pass to the Aquarium, learners will be welcome to explore
during their breaks and lunch time.
📅 Important Dates:
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March 9th: Online course bookings go live on Jake’s website. Be sure to mark your calendar—his courses sell out within hours! Jake will manage all online bookings/delivery of zoom teaching sessions.
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Once you have a confirmed place Jo, part of the Streams Team, will invite you to book on the practical session. The Hub will manage all the logistics of the in person practical sessions.
Finally, we’ve arranged an 11% discount with 3A Tutors for learners taking this course at their exam centre in their Bristol. It is the responsibility of the parent to book and pay for the exam.
* please contact us if you are a low income family, we have some limited discounted places.
Workshop Information
🔬 Hands-on Science, Real-World Skills! 🌊
In these workshops, you won’t just learn about marine science—you’ll think, experiment, and analyze like a real scientist! Each session will help you develop key practical skills, including:
✅ Planning and conducting investigations – designing experiments, making predictions, and controlling variables
✅ Using scientific equipment with accuracy – from microscopes to quadrats, Secchi discs to pH indicators
✅ Collecting and recording reliable data – making observations, taking accurate and precise measurements, and choosing appropriate apparatus
✅ Interpreting results and drawing conclusions – analyzing patterns, evaluating evidence, and linking findings to real-world marine science
✅ Communicating scientific ideas – recording results clearly, using graphs and tables, and explaining findings logically
Timings
All workshops are on Fridays for full days (10.45am -4pm).
Arrival: 10.30am
Start: 10.45am
Morning session: 10.45am - 1pm
Lunch break: 1-2pm
Afternoon session: 2 - 4pm
September 12th @ The Bristol Aquarium
Workshop 1: Investigating the properties of sea water - part 1
October 17th @ Science Creates Learning Lab
Workshop 2: Investigating the properties of sea water - a deeper dive in - part 2
November 28th @ The Bristol Aquarium
Workshop 3: Identifying and exploring aquatic organisms
January 16th @ Science Creates Learning Lab
Workshop 4: Investigating aquatic food chains
March 6th on a Field Trip - Location tbc (near Bristol)
Workshop 5: Investigating populations and habitats (This will be a Field Trip)
April 17th morning on a Field Trip afternoon @ Science Creates Learning Lab
Workshops 6: A deep leap into sediments
Workshop Content
Session 1: 💡
What You’ll Do:
Ever wondered what makes seawater different from fresh water? In this session, we’ll experiment with ice, pH levels, and carbon dioxide to uncover some surprising properties of seawater. You'll investigate factors affecting sea levels, test the acidity of different water samples, and even blow bubbles into seawater to watch chemistry in action!
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
•How sea ice and land ice melting affects sea levels
•Why seawater is salty and how its pH changes
•The link between carbon dioxide and ocean acidification
🛠️You’ll get hands-on with universal indicator paper, beakers, test tubes, and even straws (yes, for science!).
🌊 Why It’s Awesome:
This is your first step to understanding the chemistry behind the ocean—plus, you’ll get to make colorful pH changes happen right before your eyes!
Session 2:💡
What You’ll Do:
Oceans aren’t just big puddles of water—they change with temperature and salt levels! We’ll experiment with different temperatures to see how gases dissolve, density changes, and solutes behave. Ever wondered why warm fizzy drinks go flat faster? We’ve got the answer!
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
•How temperature affects solubility and density
•Why warmer oceans hold less oxygen (bad news for marine life!)
•How salt levels impact water density
🛠️ Expect to use thermometers, balance scales, boiling tubes, and carbonated water to see science in action.
🌊 Why It’s Awesome:
Understanding ocean chemistry means you can explain why fish struggle in warm water, why icebergs float, and how climate change affects our seas!
Session 3:💡
What You’ll Do:
It’s time for some real-world marine biology! You’ll use microscopes and hand lenses to examine tiny aquatic organisms, study the features of different fish and marine invertebrates, and even create your own classification keys. Plus, we’ll test how far light travels in water using a Secchi disc.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
•How to classify marine animals
•What different organisms look like under a microscope and how to create biological drawings
•How scientists measure light penetration in water
🛠️ You’ll work with microscopes, cellular stains, and Secchi discs.
🐠 Why It’s Awesome:
You’ll get to identify marine creatures like a real marine biologist—and who doesn’t love looking at weird and wonderful sea life up close?
Session 4: 💡
What You’ll Do:
From tiny plankton to massive sharks, every marine organism plays a part in the food web. We’ll test foods for nutrients, burn snacks to measure energy release, and investigate how light affects photosynthesis in aquatic plants.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
•How to test for starch, sugars, proteins, and fats
•How much energy is stored in food (by literally setting it on fire!)
•How the sun is the source of all energy in the food chain
🛠️ Get ready to use Bunsen burners, pestle and mortars, chemical reagents, and pondweed.
🍎 Why It’s Awesome:
You’ll get to ignite snacks to measure energy—yes, burning food in the name of science!
Session 5: 💡
What You’ll Do:
Time to get outside and explore the real world! We’ll study population sizes and distribution patterns of coastal plants. You’ll also learn how to map the coastline and measure environmental factors like temperature.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
•How to measure populations sizes and species richness in an area
•How to map coastal profiles
•How different environmental factors shape marine ecosystems
🛠️ You’ll use quadrats, tape measures and clinometers!
🏖️ Why It’s Awesome:
This is real field science—no tables and chairs, just nature, fresh air, and sand!
Session 6: 💡
What You’ll Do:
Ever thought about what’s in the sand beneath your feet? In this session, we’ll analyze particle sizes and moisture levels of sediment samples to uncover the hidden details of marine environments.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
•How to classify and analyze sediments and sand
•How moisture content affects coastal ecosystems
•Why sediment types influence marine biodiversity
🛠️ Expect to work with callipers, sieves, specimen jars, balances, and even an autoclave!
🏝️ Why It’s Awesome:
You’ll uncover hidden clues about how coasts form, and how the distance from the coastline affects the sand beneath your feet.