This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Plastics – or polymers as they are more correctly called – look set to be the material of the future. Think of any product and it is likely that it consists, at least in part, of a polymer...

This range of practical activities and resources provided by ASE is aimed to teach about plants and flowers in schools.Growing fast plants can provide rewarding results in a short time span and the ideas encourage all students to be involved with the activities....

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). New applications for traditional fabrics are being found, but increasingly, fibres and fabrics are engineered for specific purposes. Much...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Forensic science is widely featured in TV dramas and newspaper articles, though many people have a distorted view of this area.

The booklet introduces a range of qualitative and...

Fruit juice companies use a variety of different treatments and enzymes to maximise their yield. In this experiment students will investigate the effectiveness of these different enzymes.

The enzymes used are designed...

In this experiment students grow yeast on agar plates and look at the effect on growth of some common anti-fungal treatments, which are available to treat conditions such athlete's foot and thrush. Antifungal products may be bought from a local pharmacist, for example, Canistan, Daktarin, Diflucan. Several...

Gelli Baff, a crystalline powder, has been dumped into a bathtub filled with water. How can you force the hydrogel to go down the plughole in order to drain the bathtub? 

In this investigation, students learn about swelling reactions, balanced reactions, and polymerisation. Students should be able to...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). There are a wide variety of materials that have unusual and interesting flow properties, and which find applications in industry and consumer...

In the context of finding out why we grit roads in winter, students are shown what happens when salt is sprinkled onto ice lollies.  They are then asked If they believe that the temperature of the ice lolly with the salt will increase or decrease, causing it to melt faster. Students then investigate some...

Plant gums are often used in the food industry as thickening and stabilising agents. Gums are water soluble polysaccharides, such as starch and cellulose. In this activity, students investigate what happens to the texture when different polysaccharides are mixed.

When solutions of some polysaccharides are...

Eight practicals produced by the Institute of Physics (IOP) that help students to understand energy transfer and transformation and the use of energy in its various forms.

Accompanied by the Teacher and technicians'...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Thermocolour film is a fascinating material that changes colour depending on the temperature. It allows a very wide range of phenomena to be...

The Propagator project introduces students to hydraulic systems and their inner workings. Using a...