Crest Challenges
This Challenge Pack from the British Science Association, aims to give students aged 11-16 and their teachers and educators support to create a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) project that they can enter into the National Science + Engineering Competition. Through creating a project, young people can explore…
Hunting and Gathering for Ideas
This resource describes an outdoor activity which can be used to introduce students to the concept of biomimicry. Janine Benyus, founder of the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, explains how systematically observing nature and then emulating it can lead to innovative and sustainable technologies and designs. She describes how to conduct…
ARKive School Museum (Age 11-14)
Produced by ARKive, this series of activities teaches students about endangered species through the creation of an interactive museum. The ARKive School Museum presentation looks at examples of endangered species and explains the concept of an ARKive School Museum. Students then research an endangered species using the ARKive…
Shelter for the World
This resource pack introduces the concepts of shelter and shelter deprivation around the world to students in Key Stage Two. It highlights the challenges people face in their daily lives when their homes do not provide adequate shelter. It linked to the curriculum areas of design and technology, geography and PSHE and promotes thinking…
Circular Economy Introductory Kit
This card game and supporting resources, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, are designed to introduce the concept of the circular economy. Working in groups, students analyse the life cycle of a simple product, such as a bottle of water, and compare it with the cycle of growth, decay and new growth that is found in a biological…
Activity 6: Rethinking Textiles Products
This activity, for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, looks at textiles in fashion design. It provides an opportunity for students to increase their knowledge and understanding of a circular economy approach to developing textiles products and how textile companies are applying this approach to developing new products. It explores…
Activity 5: Biomimicry
Biomimicry involves looking at nature for inspiration to solve engineering problems and to develop innovative new designs for products and architecture. This activity, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, investigates what is meant by linear and closed loops systems and explores products that have been developed by learning from…
Activity 4: In the Loop
This design-and-make project, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, provides hands on experience of working with materials, using CAD/CAM for design, and an opportunity for students to manufacture interesting products while addressing many circular economy concepts. The activity explores the use of materials, the principle of…
Activity 3: Rethinking the System
This activity, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, follows the format of a ‘Dragon’s Den’ competition. It aims develop student’s understanding of responsible product development and how the principles of the circular economy can be applied to current business practice. Case studies of existing products…
Design and Technology for a Circular Economy: Teachers' Guide
This teacher's guide, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, introduces six design and technology teaching activities and explains how they can be used and adapted. It includes an overview of design in the circular economy, including an exploration of how pioneers have rethought design and why it has needed rethinking. Also included…
Activity 2: Waste = Food
This activity, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, introduces aspects of the circular economy through design-and-make tasks, focusing on food packaging for festivals. It addresses the circular economy principle that waste equals food. The activity provides students with the opportunity to consider mass food packaging waste at…
Activity 1: The Circular Economy in the Built Environment
This activity, from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, concentrates on the design of buildings, their use and eco- effectiveness. Students will explore how, through applying circular economy principles, new buildings can be created that have a positive impact – buildings that do good rather than less harm. The activity is composed…
Module 6: Aiming Higher
Module 6 of the STEM Projects Toolkit gives information on the many opportunities that students can take to present their projects in STEM competitions and fairs. The resource describes the practical steps to be taken to make a project ready for a competition or fair, including describing what the judges would be looking for. Contents 6.1…
Module 5: From the Classroom to the STEM Fair
Module 5 of the STEM Projects Toolkit explains the steps that can be taken between students carrying out projects in their own classes and presenting a project at a STEM competition or fair. Although this can be a daunting prospect, it can give students a positive experience of presenting themselves and their work professionally…
Module 4: Characteristics of Good Project Work
This module of the STEM Projects Toolkit explains what a good project provides for students, encouraging them to develop independent learning skills and reflective practice. This part of the toolkit provides the first practical steps for teachers and technicians in conceiving and developing a STEM project. Contents 4.1 What is…
Module 3: Moving From Teacher-led to Student-led Lessons and Projects
This module of the STEM Projects Toolkit considers how to move from traditional teacher-led individual lessons to student-designed and student-led inquiry based lessons and projects. The emphasis is on guiding students and encouraging them to explore and research topics, actively participate in the learning process, collaborate and…
Module 2: Models of Student-centred Inquiry
This module, from the STEM Projects Toolkit, considers the use of the inquiry-based approach in everyday teaching of STEM subjects, encouraging students to use initiative and make independent decisions. The resource compares different types of Inquiry Based Learning and includes approaches for differentiation and inclusion. Contents 2.1…
Module 1: Getting Started With STEM Inquiry Work
This module introduces the STEM Projects Toolkit, its background and its goals. A schematic diagram shows the contents of the resource pack, showing the pathways which teachers and technicians can use to access information and enrich lessons. The resource builds on the successes of the CREST Awards, a formal project award scheme,…
Medical Compression
In this activity, students investigate the uses of materials and fabrics in medical applications, such as pressure bandages for burns injuries and anti-embolism stockings for deep vein thrombosis. The students make their own pressure sensor using different types of fabric. They then calibrate their sensor and create a calibration…
Fabric Fires
The Fabric Fires activity for Key Stage Three students looks at how different fabrics catch fire and burn. Students are asked to first consider the commonest reasons for fires in the home. They then test and compare a fabric and a cotton wool ball, firstly when untreated and then having first soaked them in a fire retardant solution.…
One Planet Packaging
These materials, from Waste Watch (part of Keep Britain Tidy), have been developed to make explicit links between sustainability and packaging for students following GCSE level design and technology courses. The scheme of learning includes suggested activities for five active learning sessions, supported by the learning resources,…
Construction - Build It!
From the Centre for Science Education, the RA3 project aims to bring parents together with their children and teachers to explore the worlds of science and technology. The aim of this activity is to help children and parents think about the area they live in and how it could be improved. They work together to design and make new…
Green Fairgrounds
The RA3 project, provided by the Centre for Science Education, aims to bring parents together with their children and teachers to explore the worlds of science, technology, engineering and maths. This investigation helps to develop an awareness of green power by designing and making a new fairground ride which is self-powered.…
Make It Move: Muscle Wire Actuator
In this design challenge from the Science Learning Centre, students construct a lever that is moved by muscle wire. This is a conductor that contracts when an electric current is passed through it. The wire movement controls a lever. Students are asked to consider: • What are the advantages and disadvantages of this…
Make It Move: Rotating Arm Actuator
In this design challenge from the Science Learning Centre, students make a rotating arm actuator. This uses a geared dc motor to turn a friction fit arm. Two cams can be set at different angles to operate limit switches to control the movement of the arm. Power is fed to the motor using an H bridge switching circuit. Two single…
Make It Move: Electric Racer
In this design challenge from the Science Learning Centre, students build an electric racer powered by a super-capacitor. Students must construct the racer and choose which pulley ratio will enable it to cover the greatest distance. Students decide on the pulley ratio following observations of the in-air wheel speed. It is tempting…
Make It Move: Linear Actuator
In this design challenge from the Science Learning Centre, students make a linear actuator. The lead screw linear actuator uses a motor driven screw thread to move a threaded slider along its length. Limit switches turn off the motor when the slider reaches either end of its movement track. Students must decide on which pulley…
Corrosion: the Virus of Engineering
From the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP), this publication looks at the process and problems caused by the corrosion of metals. The first part of the publication gives background information for students on elements, atoms, ions and electrochemical reactions involved in rusting. This helps students to understand how different…
Flywheels in Engineering
This publication, from the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP), looks at the topic of flywheels and how they can be used to store or smooth energy flows. The book initially provides information for students on the following topics: • The energy-storage system • Cyclicity of supply • Energy and system energy…
Crash Site Investigation
Produced by Innovate Educate and Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, these materials challenge students to investigate the evidence from the crash site of Lancaster bomber PD259. This activity should be treated sensitively. Whilst it looks at an incident that happened over 60 years ago, it should be remembered that lives were lost during…
Communications and Radar
Produced by Innovate Educate and Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, these materials allow students to investigate circuits using communication as a context. The principles behind radar are also examined. The activities can be used individually or together in a series of sessions. The activities are: Using electric circuits to…
Can It Fly?
Produced by Innovate Educate and Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, these materials can be used to encourage children to think about what types of things can fly. There are three activities. Each activity is self-contained, and so can be run individually, or as a sequence of activities. The activities look at: Can it fly? Children…
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