Floating Garden Challenge
This challenge, from Practical Action, requires students to design and build a model structure that will enable farmers to grow crops even in an area that may become flooded. A floating garden, built on a base of aquatic weeds, is a cheap and sustainable way of allowing people to grow vegetables. The resource can be adapted to…
Water
Produced by Practical Action, these materials contain ideas and support for students undertaking a CREST award. There are stimulus materials that help students look at an issue of sustainable development. These materials look at provision clean and reliable drinking water. It looks at sustainable systems such as rainwater harvesting,…
Transport
Produced by Practical Action, these materials contain ideas and support for students undertaking a CREST award. There are stimulus materials that help students look at an issue of sustainable development. These materials look at sustainable transport. In Nepal, the building of ropeways that allow people and farmers' products…
Shelter
Produced by Practical Action, these materials contain ideas and support for students undertaking a CREST award. There are stimulus materials that help students look at an issue of sustainable development. These materials look at the provision of sustainable housing. They describe different construction methods, such as mud, clay,…
Food
Produced by Practical Action, these materials contain ideas and support for students undertaking a CREST award. There are stimulus materials that help students look at an issue of sustainable development. These materials look at the production of food. This includes: • Irrigation • Composting • Donkey ploughs…
Energy
Produced by Practical Action, these materials contain ideas and support for students undertaking a CREST award. There are stimulus materials that help students look at an issue of sustainable development. This project looks at the issues around providing sustainable energy in poor communities. It encourages students to investigate…
Product Analysis: Impacts on People and Environment
This resource from Practical Action includes a presentation and worksheets which give Key Stage Three and Four students opportunities to understand more about the impact of existing and new products on people and the environment. The presentation is packed with useful activities to reinforce students' learning. The activities…
Sustainable Design: What Is the Role of a Designer?
In this resource from Practical Action, a presentation and linked activities provide design and technology teachers with opportunities to highlight the different values and beliefs that designers may hold. Students can engage in exploring their own values about the responsibilities of designers and companies too. The powerpoint…
3/5- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Activity sheet
Squashed Tomato Challenge
This Practical Action resource presents a fun hands-on and brains-on challenge for Key Stages Two to Five. The problem: In Nepal many farmers living on the mountainside grow fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes. To earn a living they need to sell these at the local market. The problem is getting to market involves a long,…
- 3/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Activity sheet
Where's the Impact?
From Practical Action, this resource looks at life-cycle analysis and how it is used to work out the environmental impact of different products.
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
- Activity sheet
Winners and Losers
This resource, produced by Practical Action, helps students think about who the winners and losers are when making product choices.
Let's Negotiate
From Practical Action, this resource encourages students to look at how design specifications are balanced when developing new products.
Line-ups
This resource, from Practical Action, helps students to evaluate the environmental, economic and social impacts of everyday products.
Belief Circles
From Practical Action and the Royal Academy of Engineering, this short starter activity helps students to think about their own values and those of their peers in relation to the sustainability of engineering. The activity encourages an awareness of the impact of engineering on the environment and sustainability. It also helps…
Design Abacus
From Practical Action, this resource is an eco-tool used to compare the sustainability of two products or design ideas.
Moja Island Renewable Energy Engineering
From Practical Action, this 1-2 hour class activity uses the supply of energy for an island community to help students to understand renewable energy options.
Six R's
This resource from Practical Action helps students look at the 6Rs, their definitions and products which illustrate the 6Rs in action. These are: rethink, reuse, recycle, repair, reduce and refuse. Students look at the definitions carefully again and rank each of the Rs in terms of which contributes most and which least to making…
Where Does My Food Come From?
These activities, from Practical Action, encourage children to think about where their food is produced. The interactive presentation shows children where some common foods are sourced. There is also an activity using food labels to illustrate the source of foods. It could be used as a homework activity to illustrate where the food…
Where Do Tomatoes Come From?
From Practical Action, this activity encourages children to think about food miles and the environmental impact of food production, supply and consumption. Children compare the impact of UK-grown and imported tomatoes.
Where Do Bananas Come From?
From Practical Action, this activity encourages children to think about food miles and the environmental impact of food production, supply and consumption. This activity tracks the issues associated with the supply of bananas to the UK .
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2000 - 2009
- Activity sheet
Measuring the Weather
From Practical Action, this resource shows how to make a series of simple instruments to carry out weather recordings. They can be used to help children take and record measurements, understand the weather and also begin to think about climate change. Children then note weather forecasts and compare them to the actual weather to…
What Is Carbon Dioxide?
From Practical Action, a range of activities which explore carbon dioxide and climate change. Simple demonstrations show the presence of carbon dioxide gas and some of its properties. There are also presentations that can be used with an interactive whiteboard which look at sources of carbon dioxide and how cars make carbon dioxide.…
Investigating Climate Change
This activity, from Practical Action, allows children to gather information on people's perception of changes in weather during their lifetime. By interviewing older friends and relatives children can find out about recent changes to weather patterns. They can also think about the reliability of evidence and how data is collected.
Comparing the Weather
Practical Action have produced these resources to help children understand that different parts of the world have different weather and to begin thinking about climate change. Children compare two sets of weather data (Bangladesh and the UK). This is also an opportunity to discuss the differences between life in two global locations.
Controlled Assessments and Sustainability Issues
From Practical Action, this resource is intended to help students to think about how they can include sustainability throughout their tasks, from specifications, through to evaluation by using an eco-design tool.
Bottle It - Re-use or Recycle?
From Practical Action, these activities help students explore sustainable development and the difference between re-use and recycle. The resources look at re-use (using a product or component for another purpose without any processing) and recycle (processing a waste material or component and using it in a new product).
Portable Power
These materials, from Practical Action, encourage students to look at the use of batteries and the development of more sustainable power sources for portable devices. The development of portable and hand held electronic devices over the last 20 years has gone hand in hand with the development of batteries, creating new problems…
Fair Trade Textiles
From Practical Action, these materials help students to look at Fair Trade and sustainable development. It poses the question: Is there any way in which the London Olympics in 2012 and future Olympics can contribute to making the world a fairer, more sustainable place?
Climate Change Leaflet
Produced by Practical Action, this leaflet looks at the effects of climate change on poor communities and what actions are being taken to tackle it.
Wind Power Challenge
From Practical Action, this challenge asks students to design a simple wind turbine capable of lifting a cup off the floor to bench height. The winning team will be the one producing a machine that lifts the most weight. The resource includes an instruction sheet, wind turbine images, links to videos and downloadable certificates.
Renewable Energy Wordsearch
From Practical Action, this wordsearch is an enjoyable way of engaging students in the subject of renewable energy.
Moja Island
Produced by Practical Action, Moja island is a 1-2 hour activity which will reinforce students' understanding of renewable energy sources. Students consider the variety of different options available to communities living on Moja Island and select the most appropriate technology. Renewable energy fact cards, a map of the island,…