We’re inviting young inventors to create an invention that will help Little Alex Horne, Greg Davies’ assistant on Taskmaster. This exciting competition is run by Kids Invent Stuff and Taskmaster Education in partnership and is supported by the Intellectual Property Office. How It Works: One lucky winner will have their invention built by engineers Ruth and Shawn from Kids Invent Stuff and then tested at the Taskmaster House by Little Alex Horne himself. The deadline for submissions is Friday, the 13th of December 2024. The Task: Design an invention to help Little Alex Horne be the best Taskmaster’s Assistant ever! Whether it’s a drawing, picture, or video, we want to see your most imaginative ideas. Don’t forget to give your invention a cool name and explain how it works. The winning invention will be built by Kids Invent Stuff, tested by Alex at the Taskmaster house, and revealed during British Science Week in March 2025. Who can enter: The competition is open to UK residents aged 4 to 11 years. Terms and conditions apply. How to enter: Find instructions on how to enter via the terms and conditions document. Resources: Competition Guide & Activity Overview Competition Worksheet Part 1 Competition Worksheet Part 2 Activity 1 - What makes the best assistant? (Ages 4 to 7) Activity 1 - What makes the best assistant? (Ages 8 to 11) Activity 2 - Storyboard: How My Invention Helps Alex (All ages) Drawing an invention step-by-step guide Certificate of Participation Terms and conditions

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.

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.

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.

‘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.

‘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.

This year’s Cracking Ideas® competition is all about developing unique ideas and having fun with creativity. The Intellectual Property Office are celebrating the 40th birthday of the world-famous Aardman studios and, with the help of Wallace and Gromit, Morph, Shaun the Sheep and Timmy too, we need young people aged 4–18 to develop some cracking ideas to help celebrate this special birthday. Get cracking and take part!

Your resources: Inside STEM Graphene Quiz Inside STEM Graphene Quiz Answers About: Uncover the wonders of graphene in our third Inside STEM video! Discover how this miracle material, just one atom thick, is revolutionising industries. From its incredible strength to innovative applications like water filtration and flexible electronics, graphene is shaping our future. Inside STEM has been created by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) The IPO is the official UK government body responsible for intellectual property (IP) rights including patents, designs, trade marks and copyright. Intellectual property is something that you create using your mind - for example, an invention, an artistic work or a symbol. The IPO aims to support and inspire innovators and creators so they, and society, get the most out of their ideas at home and internationally. Suitability: Aimed at young people ages 11 to 14. Relevant for teaching Chemistry at KS3 and GCSE Level.

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.

Your resources: Inside STEM Graphene Fact Sheet About: Uncover the wonders of graphene in our third Inside STEM video! Discover how this miracle material, just one atom thick, is revolutionising industries. From its incredible strength to innovative applications like water filtration and flexible electronics, graphene is shaping our future. Inside STEM has been created by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) The IPO is the official UK government body responsible for intellectual property (IP) rights including patents, designs, trade marks and copyright. Intellectual property is something that you create using your mind - for example, an invention, an artistic work or a symbol. The IPO aims to support and inspire innovators and creators so they, and society, get the most out of their ideas at home and internationally. Suitability: Aimed at young people ages 11 to 14. Relevant for teaching Chemistry at KS3 and GCSE Level.

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 Business Studies 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.

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.

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.

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

2023 Competition Closed Your resources: Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas Competition Form – Key Stage 2 (Ages 8 to 11) 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

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.

2023 Competition Closed We’re thrilled to announce that certificates of recognition are available for all participants of Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Ideas Competition 2023. These certificates celebrate the inventive spirit of young minds. Let’s honour their creativity together! Your resources: 2023 Certificate of Recognition - 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). 2023 Competition Closed Follow our IPO Education – Cracking Ideas social media channels, and sign up to our ‘IP in Education’ newsletter if you wish to keep up to date with our latest competition news, free resources and more!

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

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