Exciting new additions to the National STEM Centre gadget collection

The 5 lb Fat Chunk

This realistic chunk represents the actual look and feel of 5 pounds of fat inside your body! Excess body fat can lead to coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis and some forms of cancer. This model is made from a soft, synthetic tissue called BIOLIKE 2™ that looks and feels like real body fat. The fat chunk comes with an information tent card and comes in a well-made storage bag. The dimensions of the fat chunk are 12" x 6½".

Gadget donated by HealthEDCO – www.healthedco.co.uk.

Meet Grandad, Grandma, Sam, Problem Pup, Scorch, Lipstick and Pumpkin!

Puppets are used with primary school children to capture their interest, stimulate their thinking about science, challenge their ideas and model learning conversations. Millgate House Education has donated these new puppets which now join Discovery Dog, Naughty Nora, Saba, Jasmin and Ricky in our collection. The PUPPETS: Talking Science - Engaging Science project explored the use of puppets to engage and motivate children and promote conversations which help their learning in science. The Nuffield Foundation provided funding for the research.

Find out more about this project at www.puppetsproject.com/research.php.

Gadget donated by Millgate House Education – www.milllgatehouse.co.uk.

Numdrum

The Numdrum was invented by John Harrison to help a child struggling with the basics of understanding numbers, adding and subtraction. A Numdrum consists of a sturdy hollow plastic tube with a list of numbers from 0 to 139 going up in a helix around it. This way of presenting the number system is easily understood and appeals to children. The number square, familiar to all those in primary and basic skills education, has a number of drawbacks: what happens when a student get to the end of a line, where does she go? The Numdrum overcomes this with the helix; there is no discontinuity with the numbers as they slowly wind up round the tube. The resource is aimed at Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils.

Numdrums are available in a variety of sizes from giant to palm-sized. A classroom set of Numdrums includes 10, 20 or 30 Numdrums , a very large Numdrum that can also be used for class demonstrations and a copy of the teachers' notes.

Gadget donated by Numdrum - www.numdrum.com.

Allstar Die-Cutting System

Die cutting is a manufacturing process used to generate large numbers of the same shape from a material such as wood, plastic, metal, or fabric. The die cut shapes are sometimes called “blanks,” because they are usually finished and decorated before being sold. The process is widely used on an assortment of materials all over the world, and many manufactured products contain several die cut components, often assembled together in a series of steps to create a finished product.

Sharp specially shaped blades are used in die cutting. The blade is bent into the desired shape and mounted to a strong backing. The result is known as a die. The material being cut is placed on a flat surface with a supportive backing, and the die is pressed onto the material to cut it. Depending on what is being made, a single die might cut one piece of material, or it might be designed to slice through multiple layers, generating a stack of blanks.

Gadget available from AB Curriculum and Ellison Education.

If you would like to have a look at these gadgets in person then please don't hesitate to get in touch to arrange a visit to the National STEM Centre.