A project to make mouldable plastic from milk In this activity, learners will make mouldable plastic (casein) from milk and then use a mould to form a shape. It will help them to understand how plastic is made from natural resources. In an era of escalating environmental concerns and an urgent need for sustainable materials, transforming an everyday staple like milk into a versatile and biodegradable plastic presents a compelling and innovative solution. This activity could be used as a main lesson to teach learners about plastic, covering manufacturing processes and techniques using natural resources. It could also be used as part of an introduction to plastics and their environmental impact and help develop their knowledge and skills in Design & Technology, Engineering, Science and Mathematics. This resource is part of a group for Plastic-free Month that could be carried out either in school or at home. The engineering context Engineers actively contribute to environmental conservation by seeking innovative methods to produce plastic. Although plastic is extremely useful, the finite nature of crude oil underscores the need for alternatives. Bioengineers are currently exploring using organic resources such as sugarcane, potatoes, and various plants to enhance the sustainability of plastic production. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity, students will be able to make mouldable plastic from milk, and they will understand that plastics made from natural products could be a way to protect the environment. Download our activity sheet and related resources for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. You can download our step-by-step instructions below as either a classroom lesson plan or PowerPoint presentation. Please do share your highlights with us @IETeducation.

In this lesson, learners will apply the lift equation to carry out a real-world aircraft design activity. This will support their understanding of: manipulating the subject of equations; using equations; interpreting data presented in tables and graphs. This is one of a set of resources produced in conjunction with the engineering company Arconic. The resources are designed to support teaching of key engineering concepts at both key stage 3 and key stage 4, including the GCSE in Engineering. This resource focuses on the application of maths in engineering. This could be used as a one-off main lesson activity, as an introductory lesson to a wider unit of work focussing on aerodynamics or as part of a scheme on aircraft design using all of the resources developed in association with Arconic. Activity: Writing flowchart programs to meet a given design brief Students will firstly view our Flying by Numbers presentation to make sure that they understand the concept of lift and the lift equation. Using the information from within this presentation, they will change the subject of the formula to make wing area and velocity the focus, and then interpreting data using the tables and graphs that have been provided. Download our activity overview and presentation for a detailed lesson plan on how to write a flowchart program to meet a given design brief. What is the lift equation? The lift formula is as follows: L = d x v2 x s x CL / 2 Where: L = lift; for level flight this equals the weight of the aircraft d = density of the air. This changes with altitude – the higher you get, the ‘thinner’ (less dense) the air is v = velocity of the aircraft s = wing area of the aircraft CL = coefficient of lift. This is read from a graph Wing area: s = 2 L / (d x v2 x CL) Velocity: v = √(2L / (d x s x CL )) The engineering context This lift equation is used by aerospace designers to determine the necessary characteristics of an aircraft so that it can fly. Suggested learning outcomes This lesson will teach students how to manipulate the subject of a formula. They’ll be able to use a formula and interpret data in tables and graphs. Download our activity sheet and related teaching resources The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Please do share your highlights with us @IETeducation.

Manufacture a traditional Chinese two-stringed musical instrument called an 'Erhu’ In this activity learners will use the theme of the Chinese and Lunar New Year to learn about and make a Chinese two-stringed musical instrument called an Erhu. They will learn about the purpose of an Erhu and its main parts. They will then use hand tools and equipment to manufacture their own Erhu and test it. The erhu is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It can imitate many natural sounds such as birds and horses. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Tin can Piece of wood 2 x M5 screw, 4 x M5 nuts Fishing line Hacksaw/multi-tool Drill and drill bits Hot glue gun Wood saw Violin bows (if available) The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Use colour-changing LEDs for a mood lighting circuit that can help passengers to relax whilst inside an aircraft cabin. This activity could be used as a main lesson to teach about soldering, assembling circuits and the function of components or to support learning about colour and how it changes our response to products. You will need: Soldering iron, stand and mat/base Solder Mood light circuit board 5 V power supply e.g. a USB cable Slide switch 5 mm colour changing LED Protective resistor for the LED All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Design a system to drop emergency aid pallets from an aircraft. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to design a method or system of getting emergency aid from an aircraft to the ground safely. They will analyse existing methods of achieving this. Then use that information to create sketches of their initial ideas, before producing a developed and completed final design. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

**This activity introduces the concept of force and motion and energy transfer through the making of a rotary water-powered ‘hero’ engine. ** This resource focusses on a water-powered ‘hero’ rotary engine, which converts water pressure to rotary motion. Devices of this type, called aeolipiles, were described by the mathematician Hero of Alexandria around 2100 years ago. These operated on the same principle but used water that was heated to make steam, rather than just water pressure. You will need: Empty plastic one litre bottles String or thread Sticky tack Drinking straws Felt tipped pens Scissors Rulers Sharp point, such as a bradawl, large needle or metal skewer Stopwatch (for extension activity). All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Design a personal transport system for the future. Engineers are always looking to improve existing transport systems to make them better, more efficient, and widely available to everyone. As new propulsion methods are made smaller, and materials get lighter and stronger, personal transportation systems will be developed. In this activity, learners will design a futuristic personal transport system. The transport will use a chosen method of propulsion to allow it to fly, carrying an individual or a group of people. Learners will communicate design ideas using sketches, notes, and annotations. You will need: Projector/whiteboard Sketching equipment All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Designing a new way of carrying things. This resource focusses on designing a new item of luggage that travellers can use to store and carry their belongings. Learners will create a list of design criteria for the luggage, apply mathematical knowledge in measuring the objects that need to be carried, then design the luggage itself. What you will need Pencils Rulers Tape measures (if available) A3 and A4 paper as required All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Create a presentation suggesting how a company could re-use aircraft or parts of aircraft. In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to create a presentation for the board of the company suggesting how they could re-use aircraft, or parts of aircraft, being retired from their fleet. They will research the different parts of an aircraft and existing products that make use of their old parts. They will use this information to create ideas for their own products. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Looking at ways to keep birds away from airport runways. Bird strikes can be extremely dangerous and cause a lot of damage to aircrafts. In this activity learners will come up with ideas to prevent bird strikes. Learners will develop their analytical and researching skills, and then be able to apply these to the given design situation. You will need: Pens Pencils Rulers Projector/interactive whiteboard or computers for watching the video All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Providing disaster support for a famine hit country. In this activity learners will design a pop-up airport to allow the delivery of food supplies to people in famine affected, remote areas. They will consider the requirements of the airport and how it can be made quickly using readily available resources. They will then produce a sketch of their idea ready for implementation. You will need: Access to word processing or desktop publishing software (if using ICT) Paper Card Pencil and pens Ruler Tape and/or glue All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Measuring the density of materials to choose which to use in an aircraft. In this activity learners will discover the density of materials through testing. Learners will have an opportunity to weigh and work out the volume of an object. They will use this information and their number skills to calculate the density. They will then repeat this for other objects and discuss their results as a class. You will need: Range of different materials to test Bowls and trays Science beakers/Measuring jugs Weighing scales Water All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Evaluating materials for a heat shield to prevent a piece of chocolate from melting The Solar Orbiter has to get very close to the Sun’s surface to observe how it works. It needs a heat shield, so its systems do not get too hot and melt. This fun activity make use of the theme of the future of flight to design, make and test a heat shield to prevent a piece of chocolate from melting. Test different materials to see which protects the chocolate the best and discuss their results. You will need: Polystyrene cups Scissors Materials for heat shields (e.g. milk bottle plastic, cardboard, metal foil, metal mesh) Chocolate pieces Hairdryer Stopwatch or timer Additional equipment that could be used: Thermometer Ruler Heat mats to place polystyrene cups on Oven gloves/cloths/tongs All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

In this activity learners will make use of the theme of the future of flight to learn about the importance of clear communication for air traffic controllers. They will work together in groups to follow instructions to make a range of shapes using different cards. You will need: Scissors (to cut out shape cards). Shape cards. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Investigate a decade counter circuit and compare it to a programmable counter This resource is part of a collection that supports using the BBC micro:bit for Design and Technology lessons. In this activity, students will investigate a decade counter circuit. They will then compare the operation of this to their programmable counter. Learners may need to recap basic circuit symbols and the use of circuit diagrams before attempting this activity. If students have not used circuit simulation software previously, they may benefit from a teacher demonstration of this. Any circuit simulation software that is available in school and that supports decade counters can be used. Popular examples are Circuit Wizard and Yenka. The teacher may need to check the circuits drawn by learners prior to them testing the circuits, to ensure that they have been correctly drawn, and therefore the test results are accurate. If learners encounter switch bounce they could investigate the issue further and look at ways to reduce it. This is an ideal exercise for learners to develop their technical knowledge related to the use of decade counters in electronics and compare their operation to similar programmable systems. This is a quick and simple activity that will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Tools/resources required Projector/Whiteboard Exercise books or folders Circuit simulation software (e.g. Circuit Wizard, Yenka etc.) What is the BBC micro:bit? The BBC micro:bit is a small, programmable computer that was designed for education purposes. It was developed by the BBC in partnership with several technology companies, including Microsoft and ARM. The micro:bit features an LED display, buttons, sensors, and Bluetooth connectivity, making it a versatile tool for teaching programming, electronics and other STEM subjects. It is popular in schools around the world and has been used to create a wide range of projects, from simple games to complex robotics. The micro:bit is also affordable and accessible, with many free resources and tutorials available online for students and teachers to use. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will be able to simulate and test the operation of a decade counter circuit and they will be able to compare and contrast hardware based electronic counters with programmable counters. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Modify and improve the beep tester design This is one of a series of resources to support the use of the BBC micro:bit in Design and Technology lessons. Technology can be used in sports to enhance performance and help participants to improve their fitness and stamina. For example, automated beep tests can be used to monitor fitness levels during training sessions, and set targets for future improvement. In this unit of learning, learners will use the BBC micro:bit to develop a prototype for an electronic beep test that can be used to help people monitor and improve their fitness levels. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will test their product against the design criteria and suggest possible improvements. The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Making a cradle using magnets that repel each other Newton’s cradle uses swinging spheres to show how the conservation of momentum and the conservation of energy works. The device was named after Sir Isaac Newton and designed by French scientist Edme Mariotte. This is one of a set of resources developed to support the teaching of the primary national curriculum. They are designed to support the delivery of key topics within science and design and technology. This resource focuses on producing a magnetic Newton’s cradle that uses magnets which repel each other instead of the usual metal spheres. This is a great way for students to learn all about magnets and could be used as a one-off activity or as part of a wider unit of work focusing on magnets and magnetism. It can also be used in conjunction with other IET Education resources, developed alongside the School of Engineering at Cardiff University. This activity will take approximately 65-90 minutes. Tools/resources required Circular magnets with holes in the middle (with N and S poles) 150 mm lengths of dowel 75 mm lengths dowel 100 – 120 mm long pieces of string (6 per unit being built) Masking tape Example of a ‘regular’ Newton’s cradle. Scissors Hot glue guns, if appropriate Magnetic forces Magnets are made from materials such as iron and nickel and they have a north pole and a south pole. When the north pole of a magnet is placed near the south pole of another magnet, they will attract each other. When two poles that are the same are placed near each other, they will repel each other. For example, north to north and south to south. The engineering context Engineers need to know the properties of magnets, which materials are magnetic and which materials are non-magnetic. This knowledge could be used when identifying and creating potential solutions to future engineering problems. For example, when developing green transport solutions. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will be able to describe magnets as having two poles – north and south, they will understand that magnets either attract or repel each other and they will be able to make and test a ‘magnetic’ Newton’s cradle. Download the free How to make a magnetic Newton’s cradle activity sheet! All activity sheets, worksheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Understand sustainability issues in engineering and how these are applied when designing a product This is one of a set of resources produced in conjunction with the engineering company Arconic. The resources are designed to support teaching of key engineering concepts at both KS3 and KS4, including the new GCSE in Engineering. This resource focuses on designing a sustainably powered aircraft for the future. In this activity, learners will design a sustainably powered aircraft of the future. They will learn about the alternatives to using petrochemicals to power aircrafts. It will build understanding of sustainability issues in engineering and how these are applied when designing a product. This activity will also encourage students to get creative as they design a sustainable, but aesthetically pleasing aircraft. This could be used as a one-off main lesson activity, as part of a wider unit of work focusing on sources of energy and sustainability issues in engineering or as part of a scheme on aircraft design using the resources developed in association with Arconic. It is intended that learners complete this activity as individuals. Some prior understanding of sustainability issues and energy generation methods may be advantageous. Tools/resources required Projector/Whiteboard Basic drawing equipment CAD software (if producing final design using CAD) The engineering context Sustainable design and the use of finite and non-finite resources is required learning as part of both the new Design and Technology and Engineering 9-1 GCSE courses. The knowledge gained can also be used when selecting sources of energy for future product and system designs. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will know that oil is a non-renewable, finite resource, they will be able to understand and apply sustainable alternatives to petrochemicals for powering aircraft and they will be able to communicate design ideas using sketches, notes and annotations. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets, worksheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Craft solutions for clean water and make a proto-type of an idea What is a treadle pump and how does it work? This is one of a series of resources designed to support the delivery of DT at secondary, using Design & Technology and Engineering. Each resource covers a key topic from one or more of the specifications for these subjects. This resource focuses on the social problems and challenges faced by people living in remote parts of the world, and allows students to craft solutions to these issues. Millions of people live in remote parts of the world. They face many challenges, such as limited access to electricity and difficulties in sourcing food and water. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, secondary learners will investigate some of the problems faced by people living in remote areas, and how they might be solved. It will build their knowledge of social issues and how this affects the design of products and systems. The DT KS4 activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Design a treadle pump This is one of a series of GCSE DT resources designed to support teachers to deliver high-quality, inspiring lessons. Each resource covers a key topic from one or more of the specifications for these subjects. This resource focuses on designing ideas to solve the problem of water supply faced by people living in remote villages. One challenge that many people living in dry, remote areas face is the sourcing of water to irrigate crops and therefore grow food. A treadle pump can be used to make this much easier and far less time consuming. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links How does a water pump work? In this activity, learners will produce design ideas for a treadle pump that can raise water from wells. It will develop their ability to design products that meet a social need. It will also develop their skills in the drawing techniques used by designers and engineers to communicate their ideas. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation