In this design challenge from the National STEM Learning Centre and Network, students build an electric racer powered by a super-capacitor. Students must construct the racer and choose which pulley ratio will enable it to cover the greatest distance.

If a bridge needs to cross a river without obstructing river traffic, it can be built with an opening section. Tower Bridge is a world famous example of a bascule bridge that can open when necessary.

Lesson Objectives

• The student could understand how hydraulic and pneumatic systems for...

This resource provides ten hours of independent project work in which students design and make a kinetoscope -  a strip of paper containing drawings on the inside of a drum- like cylinder, which spins to create a moving image.  Students will need to consider:

• What the drum will be made from, and how big it...

Written by the IET, this resource allows students to explore the theme of Diwali, whilst applying a range of skills. A diya is an oil lamp that represents the triumph of light over dark, and good over evil. Diyas are traditionally made from clay or mud, with a cotton wick dipped in ghee to celebrate Diwali, the...

In this activity, students make a nail into an electromagnet. They then investigate whether increasing the number of coils of wire, or the thickness or length of the mail, affects the strength of the electromagnet.

In this project students make their own additive-free fizzy drink using yeast and compare the homemade fizzy drink to fizzy drinks you can buy in the shops.   Curriculum links include respiration, fermentation, microbes, pH

Designed to be accessible for all primary aged children, this activity guides you and your pupils through the simple steps to design and make their own recipe book. This could be carried out as part of a design and technology or maths lesson, and is simple to follow, making it suitable for learning at home and in...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). Energy is a universal concept across the sciences, yet it is often difficult for students to understand. Part of the problem is that current...

This Nuffield Pathways Through Science module covered structure, bonding, as well as an introduction to quantitative chemistry with calculations based on amounts in moles. The topic was presented in three episodes:
Mm 1: Plastics
Mm 2: Metals
Mm 3:...

This Cre8ate maths resource investigates the structure of some hydrocarbons. Molecules which have the same chemical formula but a different structure are called isomers. A printed sheet representing carbon and hydrogen atoms is cut up and used, as a kinaesthetic...

In this activity students learn about the way mucus accumulates in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis and produce their own homemade mucus. The activity is supported with a short comprehension task which looks at why people with cystic fibrosis are prone to lung...

Can we solve the problem of summer water shortages by making rain? In this Science upd8 activity students learn about the significance of droplet size in natural rain formation. They then look at Chinese experiences of 'cloud seeding' before annotating a graphic to show how it works.

Making sense of data: 16-19 core skills resource pack consists of five sections:

• General Introduction: an overview of the materials and their uses.

• INSET pack: introduces teachers to some of the ideas of exploratory data analysis.

• Guides to the topic resources: provides...

In this cross curricular activity, children learn about light and shadows by creating shadow puppets which tell the story of a myth or legend. Teacher’s notes provide a step by step guide to creating the shadow puppets, showing how to create moving parts; it also shows how to set up a shadow theatre to tell the...

This activity, from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, looks at how shadows are formed and what affects their size, direction and shape. Students place an object at the centre of a sheet of paper, and use a torch to produce shadows of different length and direction.

This activity can be used as an introduction...