In this predict-observe-explain activity, students explore different ways of extinguishing a flame with some surprising results. The lesson is introduced with the video of engineer Yusuf Muhammad. Yusuf is developing a revolutionary new household fire-safety device, incorporating the techniques of professional...

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...

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 publication, from the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP), looks at the topic of flywheels and how they can be used to store or smooth energy flows. The book initially provides information for students on the following topics:

• The energy-storage system
• Cyclicity of supply
• ...

Through this challenge pupils will develop their understanding of how food waste contributes to climate change. Pupils will have the opportunity to identify potential problems or areas where an invention could help reduce the amount of food we waste, before designing their own invention and evaluating and...

These technical briefs look at how to store and preserve food in a number of different ways. This is a vital part of food security and enables farmers to provide nutritious food for a longer period to feed their families and to provide an income.

Technical briefs are documents produced by Practical Action...

From founding communications, such as the fire beacon, to being able to communicate with space, there is no denying that developments in communication have advanced at a rapid speed. This topic, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), presents students with communications of the past, present and...

These resources have been created for primary schools to support learning about water and how we can be more environmentally aware. Frankie the flamingo, Clarence the crab, and the rest of the Flamingo Investigation Department observe what is happening around them and ask questions, then set out on an adventure to...

A guide to 12 different engineering disciplines showing different pathways into engineering, to support students with their career decision-making.

Engineering is a diverse, wide-reaching sector and it can be hard to decide which of the many areas to pursue. In this booklet you will find an overview of...

These resources suggest a range of activities that can be used to illustrate different aspects of STEM professions.

They were developed by the Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University and Babcock for the former Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of the initiative to...

A case study looking at a new type of rechargeable battery that could store five to ten times more energy than current batteries. The new type of battery is under investigation at the University of St Andrews with funding from the EPSRC. The new batteries would be made from cheaper materials and store more energy...

Future Morph was a careers website, provided by the Science Council, designed to provide information for young people, their parents and teachers about the jobs available from studying science and maths. It aimed to show young people that studying science and maths post-16 could provide them with the skills and...

Future Morph Careers Quest was developed for students attending one of the the Big Bang science fairs. In the activity, students question exhibitors about aspects of their work and how they had chosen their particular career.

Whilst developed for an exhibition context, the resources can suggest questions for...