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...

In this activity, students to investigate different possible ways of filtering dirty water to improve its cleanliness by designing and building their own water filtration systems. The lesson can be extended with a practical session in which students work in small teams...

This activity asks students to work in teams to design an experiment or experiments which will test the claims of companies producing various types of domestic water filtration equipment. All teams can be given the same advert or all four adverts can be distributed for...

Students work in teams to design and make a prototype device that can design and make a prototype of a simple device (to be sold in stores like B&Q) that will allow homeowners to remove water from their house during periods of flooding.

In this challenge the device will have to move 100ml of water from...

After learning about flooding, students consider the design problems caused by its early detection. Students are introduced to moisture sensors, and can build their own using the instructions provided or use a ready-made version. This is connected to the BBC micro:bit and used as an input device. After processing...

This resource, aimed at primary level, links to the curriculum areas of food and diet, healthy eating and where food comes from. Using feely bags, children are asked to identify fruits and vegetables using their sense of touch. They then work in small groups to discuss and debate what food they may have. Once the...

Aimed at primary learners, this resource looks at food, nutrition and healthy eating and links to the topic of animals, including humans.

In this activity, children cut out and assemble the template of a food wheel and use it to plan a balanced meal or diet for the day. The wheel contains nutritional...

These resources cover themes of food sustainability and security. Included are technical briefs which focus on low cost approaches related to food production and preservation. Technical briefs are documents produced by Practical Action which are freely...

These materials use the BLOODHOUND SSC land speed attempt as a context for teaching about forces, particularly forward thrust and frictional forces. The BLOODHOUND SuperSonic Car (SSC) land-speed attempt aims to reach a target speed of 1000 miles per hour.

A very large forward driving force is required to...

In this activity students use their STEM skills to transform a room in their house or garden. They  will be measuring, drawing to scale and choosing items to remodel. Thinking carefully about dimensions, materials and how to present their new design, students will be practicing measuring and drawing to scale...

Aimed at very young learners, this resource looks at fruit and the part it plays in a healthy diet. Children are asked to cut out fruit pictures and place them onto cards showing a quad bike, a speedboat, a snowboarder and a ballerina.

This resource has been produced by the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and...

In this lesson, students explore the functional properties of food. They learn about the Maillard reaction, dextrinisation, caramelisation, gelatinisation and other characteristics of carbohydrates as well as the properties of protein and fats and how these contribute to the appearance, taste and texture of food....

In this Future Morph video Suresh Chawla talks about designing, building and moving stage scenery. Suresh explains how working in the theatre challenges him to solve design problems and build useable solutions. He describes how scenery must be light and strong before explaining how some pieces are moved with pulley...