Fun facts, stories and inspiring activity ideas introducing innovation, creativity and intellectual property with Wallace & Gromit.

The Cracking Ideas Competition is a creative invention competition, plus classroom resources for pupils aged 5-11 years in England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland. Children can learn about research and creative product design, explore the core phases of design and technology, and come up with a new invention or a reworking of an existing object. During the process children will be introduced to Intellectual Property (IP) and the importance of protecting their own ideas. They are designed to be used flexibly to adapt to different ages, spaces and interests. You can follow age-appropriate activities to help children come up with their own unique inventions which can then be entered into our nationwide competition - there’s a very special prize up for grabs.

The Cracking Ideas Competition is a creative invention competition, plus classroom resources for pupils aged 5-11 years in England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland. Children can learn about research and creative product design, explore the core phases of design and technology, and come up with a new invention or a reworking of an existing object. During the process children will be introduced to Intellectual Property (IP) and the importance of protecting their own ideas. They are designed to be used flexibly to adapt to different ages, spaces and interests. You can follow age-appropriate activities to help children come up with their own unique inventions which can then be entered into our nationwide competition - there’s a very special prize up for grabs.

Cracking Ideas aims to provide curriculum-led activities that get children engaged with product design and the importance of protecting intellectual property. You can follow age-appropriate activities to help children come up with their own unique inventions which can then be entered into our nationwide competition. Competition Closed

Cracking Ideas aims to provide curriculum-led activities that get children engaged with product design and the importance of protecting intellectual property. You can follow age-appropriate activities to help children come up with their own unique inventions which can then be entered into our nationwide competition. Competition Closed

Resources: Introduction PowerPoint Competition Flyer Informed Consent Form Competition Terms & Conditions About: Throughout history there have been countless great scientists and inventors.  Some we all might have heard of like Steve Jobs or James Watt, but there are many inventors most of us have probably never heard of, people whose brilliant minds and hard work have had a massive impact on our society or the world. Alternatively, we may know the invention, but have no idea who invented it! Download your STEM inspired resources and get involved with this fantastic inventor competition. Competition closes 9th June 2023 Please note this competition is open to pupils in year 8 based in Newport, South Wales

Wallace Gromit’s Cracking Ideas aims to inspire your children to be creative and inventive, whether you’re in a classroom, a club or at home! Designed with the help of Aardman, whose invention-loving duo Wallace & Gromit feature in the learning materials, Cracking Ideas provides curriculum-led activities that get children engaged with design and the importance of protecting intellectual property. Our age-appropriate activities inspire children aged 4-7 and 8-11 to come up with their own inventions which they can enter into our nationwide competition. This certificate is free to download and aims to recognise the young people who submitted their creative inventions into our 2021/2022 nationwide competition .

‘Who thought of that?’ introduces Key Stage 2 learners to the world of innovation and the four types of intellectual property: Patents, Trade Marks, Design and Copyright. Inspired by Wallace & Gromit and Aardman, it is filled with fun facts and activities to encourage curiosity about how things works and ideas to make things better and includes activities on inventions, branding, design and music.

Think Kit gets students thinking about intellectual property (IP) and how it helps inventors, innovators, designers and creators to achieve success by protecting their ideas. This series of three lessons helps Design & Technology GCSE and NQ students to explore the relevance of intellectual property (IP) to their lives and future careers. The lessons also support PSHE/PSD/PSE/SMSC/Health & Wellbeing. Students are encouraged to discuss the social, ethical and moral implications of commercialising their own work, as well as using other people’s work. Students will also develop employability and enterprise skills including creativity, problem solving, communication and working as part of a team. The lessons are flexible and can easily be adapted to meet the needs of your students – you may decide to use all three lessons or just one or two of them.

This year Shaun the Sheep takes over Cracking Ideas! The lesson plans introduce the concept of innovation and creativity, intellectual property and its role in everyday lives. The lesson plans are designed for Key Stage 2 students (aged 7 – 11 years old) and support this year’s competition to get Shaun back to Mossy Bottom Farm. Both lesson plans link to the curriculum and can be used in the classroom, youth group or at home.

These resources has been produced by the Design and Technology Association in association with the Intellectual Property Office. The resources, lesson plans and activities are aimed at KS4 students in order they better understand the role of Intellectual Property and how to protect their ideas/innovation and make sure they’re rewarded.

These curriculum linked resources are designed to help teachers of Level 3 STEM subjects get students thinking about the relevance of intellectual property to their lives and future careers. Students will also develop employability and enterprise competencies including creativity, problem solving, communication and working as part of a team.

The ‘Wallace & Gromit Innovation Session’ introduces children to the concept of innovation. It highlights how innovation surrounds us in everyday life and how some household products may have been designed.

The ‘Wallace & Gromit Innovation Session’ introduces young people to the world of innovation and invention. It focuses on products which young people will be familiar with in their daily lives and defines innovation and how it occurs via a process including inspiration, decision-making and design.

The ‘Wallace & Gromit Innovation Session’ introduces young people to the concept of innovation. It highlights how innovation surrounds us in everyday life and how some household products may have been designed. The session is split into four activities focusing on innovation in product design.

‘Who thought of that?’ introduces Key Stage 2 learners to the world of innovation and the four types of intellectual property: Patents, Trade Marks, Design and Copyright. Inspired by Wallace & Gromit and Aardman, it is filled with fun facts and activities to encourage curiosity about how things works and ideas to make things better and includes activities on inventions, branding, design and advertising.

A Cracking Ideas themed worksheet to design a Christmas decoration. Includes a variety of shapes to cut around as inspiration. The design of your decoration could be protected by registered design. This protects the appearance of it and includes colour shape and texture when added to your decoration. Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas is a series of fun innovation challenges for primary education.

2023 Competition Closed Your resources: Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas Competition Form – Key Stage 1 (Ages 4 to 7) 2023 Competition Terms and Conditions 2023 Adult Registration Form 2023 Certificate of Recognition - New! Cracking Ideas Educational Resources - New! About: Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas aims to inspire your children to be creative and inventive, whether you’re in a classroom, a club or at home! Designed with the help of Aardman, whose invention-loving duo Wallace & Gromit feature in the learning materials, Cracking Ideas provides curriculum-led activities that get children engaged with design and the importance of protecting Intellectual Property (IP). Our age-appropriate activities inspire children aged 4-7 and 8-11 to come up with their own inventions which they can enter into our nationwide competition - there’s some very special prizes up for grabs! Flexible resources support different ages, settings, abilities and interests. Use them in your classroom or with an after-school club, youth centre, Scout or Guide group. In these activities, children think about how innovative design can improve the world around them. Working as individuals or as part of a team, children will undertake some creative product design, explore some important stages in the design process, and help Wallace & Gromit reinvent the Wrong Trousers so that they can do good for our planet. As they learn and invent, children are introduced to Intellectual Property (IP) and the importance of protecting original ideas. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with IP! We explain IP in simple, age-appropriate ways in the resources. Wallace & Gromit will be sharing their competition top tips and inspirational ideas throughout the competition via the IPO Education – Cracking Ideas social media channels, and through our ‘IP in Education’ newsletter. It might even be that their adventures and tips will inspire your very own Cracking Ideas. Please share tour design journey with us on social media by using #CrackingIdeas Let’s show the world world what a cracking bunch of inventors the next generation are! Competition closes 1st September 2023

2022 Competition closed Wallace Gromit’s Cracking Ideas aims to inspire your children to be creative and inventive, whether you’re in a classroom, a club or at home! Designed with the help of Aardman, whose invention-loving duo Wallace & Gromit feature in the learning materials, Cracking Ideas provides curriculum-led activities that get children engaged with design and the importance of protecting intellectual property. Our age-appropriate activities inspire children aged 4-7 and 8-11 to come up with their own inventions which they can enter into our nationwide competition - there’s a very special prize up for grabs! Flexible resources support different ages, settings, abilities and interests. Use them in your classroom or with an after-school club, youth centre, Scout or Guide group. In these activities children think about how we get from place to place, undertake some creative product design, explore some important stages in the design process, and come up with a sustainable and fun way to help Wallace and Gromit get from place to place during their tour of the UK. As they learn and invent, children are introduced to Intellectual Property (IP) and the importance of protecting original ideas. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with IP! We explain IP in simple, age-appropriate ways in the resources, and there’s more information for adults at the end of this guide. Wallace & Gromit’s UK tour of Innovation This year we are introducing a special challenge with the school or group that sends in the most entries winning a unique prize that they can all enjoy. Wallace & Gromit will be on their very own tour of innovation across the UK. The duo will travel a mile on their virtual tour for every competition entry received from a school/group. On the way they will stop at cities, towns and districts discovering innovations of the past and future. The whole journey will be documented on our social media channels and through our newsletter. It might even be that their exploits will inspire your very own Cracking Ideas.

Wallace Gromit’s Cracking Ideas aims to inspire your children to be creative and inventive, whether you’re in a classroom, a club or at home! Designed with the help of Aardman, whose invention-loving duo Wallace & Gromit feature in the learning materials, Cracking Ideas provides curriculum-led activities that get children engaged with design and the importance of protecting intellectual property. Our competition and activities inspire children aged 4-7 and 8-11 to come up with their own inventions which they can enter into our nationwide competition - there’s a very special prize up for grabs! In these activities children think about how we get from place to place, undertake some creative product design, explore some important stages in the design process, and come up with a sustainable and fun way to help Wallace and Gromit get from place to place during their tour of the UK. As they learn and invent, children are introduced to Intellectual Property (IP) and the importance of protecting original ideas. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with IP! We explain IP in simple, age-appropriate ways in the resources, and there’s more information for adults at the end of this guide. Wallace & Gromit’s UK tour of Innovation This year we are introducing a special challenge with the school or group that sends in the most entries winning a unique prize that they can all enjoy. Wallace & Gromit will be on their very own tour of innovation across the UK. The duo will travel a mile on their virtual tour for every competition entry received from a school/group. On the way they will stop at cities, towns and districts discovering innovations of the past and future. The whole journey will be documented on our social media channels and through our newsletter. It might even be that their exploits will inspire your very own Cracking Ideas.