These downloadable videos and animations are part of the multimedia package Stuff and Substance, developed by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). They can be used to develop ideas relating to flames, from hydrogen to candle wax.

This podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) looks at how the famous White Cliffs of Dover could be made of fish poo (at least partially), why one researcher is so interested in dead whales, and why the Japan earthquake was so powerful and devastating....

In this video, Matt describes how he became a fisheries technical officer for the Environment Agency. His job is to monitor river habitats and fish populations, including improving the habitat and restocking fish after any pollution incidents.

The video could be used to introduce units of work including...

From the Centre for Science Education, the RA3 project aims to bring parents together with their children and teachers to explore the worlds of science.

Children and families are challenged to design a sea-life attraction. They must consider the budgets, habitats involved, range of tanks to be built and the...

This activity involves a series of discussions and ranking activities to develop students understanding of the link between fitness, pulse rate, respiration and activity. It can be used as an introduction to the ...

What are the different types of bridge and how do they cope with the loads put on them?

Lesson Objectives

• The student could research and explore the way forces affect bridges and discuss how to explain this information to the intended user group.
• They should categorise...

Many of the chemicals we use as drugs, flavourings and perfumes originate from natural sources but often the most economical way of obtaining them is to produce them artificially on an industrial scale. Scientists at the University of Oxford are researching into how to...

In Flesh Eaters, provided by the Association for Science Education (ASE), students are challenged to unravel a bizarre crime using their scientific skills.

Flesh Eaters is a 'learning adventure'. It combines computer-...

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 low cost and sustainable way of allowing people to grow vegetables. The resource...

In this lesson, students devise their own flood warning device and create a technical brief for an international audience using recognised circuit symbols. They also consider how people both here and in Nepal can best prepare for floods. Heavy monsoon rains can devastate communities in Nepal. The severe flooding...

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...

This podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) looks at why removing some man-made coastal flood defences might not be such a bad idea, what it is like studying gas exchange in the wilds of the Southern Ocean, and – in what could be the first case of '...

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...

A fact sheet from the Geological Society about different kinds of flooding, river, costal, groundwater, urban and flash floods, and the role played by climate change in increasing the risk of flooding.