The start of a new year is a perfect time to try new things. But don’t worry, if you don’t have time to think of activities, we have some brilliant resources from our hand-picked collections, all ready for you to use right away, featuring germ-battling, zombie apocalypse, film facts, flood-fighting, and much more.
Resource ideas to get you started
At the top of the list is our new collection of resources focusing on smart materials, modern materials and technical textiles. These collections include information slides, discussion points, guided experiments and suggested research areas.
We’ve got support for topics such as Kevlar, carbon fibre, metal foams, smart metal alloys, and much more. Just in case that isn’t exciting enough, all of the resources are also linked to space flight and space technology - giving you an out of this world link to how each material is used!
Looking for more resources to support at GCSE? Take a look at our GCSE design and technology resource page. There are loads of great resource collections available to download, including:
- impact of new and emerging technologies
- maths resources for design and technology
- levers, linkages and types of motion
- surface treatments and finishes
- scales of production
- inspired by industry
- user-centred design
Inspire your students with design and technology career ideas
With National Careers Week approaching in March, you can head to our careers resources page where you will find posters, videos and further study ideas for students. Curriculum-linked resources are separated into the different areas of design and technology.
Get involved with STEM Club resources
There are hundreds of hours of activities available to download from the STEM Clubs resources area. Here are some of our top picks with a design and technology theme:
- Use your STEM skills to survive the zombie apocalypse - This resource asks students to design the essential equipment needed for any zombie crisis. Can you use composite materials to create a home-made neck guard, avoiding those dangerous zombie bites? Put your electronics knowledge to the test by creating a pressure pad alarm to warn you of the zombie arrival!
- DIY IET Faraday Challenges - These cross-curricular STEM activity days encourage the development of students’ problem-solving, team-working and communication skills. Challenges cover topics such as designing a mission to Mars, creating a new theme park ride, creating flood defences and prototyping new medical equipment to carrying out remote operations. Each resource comes with presentations, guidance notes, student worksheets and certificates.
- Stop the Spread - This STEM challenge asks students to design, build and test a model of a hand-washing device suitable to help prevent the spread of diseases. Produced by Practical Action, it is accredited for the British Science Association CREST Discovery Award and includes teacher guidelines, a student pack, a presentation, a video certificates and a poster.
- Engineering at the movies - This collection of STEM challenges from the Royal Academy of Engineering explores how STEM skills are used to create movie magic in cinema and on TV.
- Save the world with STEM - From thinking about how diseases are spread or contained, to building an improved skyscraper that can withstand earthquakes, this programme of activities explores the big question… Can we save the world with STEM?