This fun STEM resource focuses on making shadow puppets while nurturing an understanding of the relationship between light and shadow. We’ve created this shadow puppet experiment to support the teaching of key topics within design and technology (D&T) and science as part of the primary national curriculum at key stage 2 (KS2). This resource focuses on making shadow puppets and developing supporting knowledge about the relationship between light and shadow. This could be used as a one-off activity in D&T or science or linked with the IET primary activity ‘How does the light from a torch change with distance?’, which involves measuring how the distribution of light varies with distance from the light source. It could also be used in conjunction with learning in literacy – for example, creating puppets to perform a story being studied. Activity: Making shadow puppets Learners will make a shadow puppet using card, craft sticks and sticky tape. This not only makes learning about shadow puppets fun but also fosters creativity and storytelling skills among learners at the KS2 level. Tools/supplies needed: Card (photocopies of handouts, if used) Masking tape Craft sticks Tracing paper (for screen) Large boxes (for extension activity) Scissors Torches The Engineering Context Engineers often have to consider how light behaves when designing products for practical applications. For instance, the positioning of windows and artificial lighting in buildings, or the power and placement of lights and mirrors in vehicles, are all influenced by an understanding of light and shadow. This activity will give learners an insight into these considerations. Suggested learning outcomes Light is a type of electromagnetic radiation. Visible light is the range of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be seen with a human eye. Light’s brightness, or intensity, is typically measured as the power per unit area. Any object that blocks the path of light causes a shadow. This activity therefore offers a blend of scientific learning, practical skills, and creative expression, making it a comprehensive educational experience. Specifically, children will learn that blocking the path of light causes a shadow, and they’ll be able to use scissors to make a graphic product. Download our activity sheet and other teaching resources 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. Please do share your highlights with us @IETeducation.

Learn how to make a homemade single stringed musical instrument in this fun STEM activity for kids This fun STEM activity for kids will show you how to make a homemade musical instrument from card and can be done at home or at school! This is one of a set of free 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 the construction, investigation and testing of a single stringed instrument. In this activity learners will construct a card model of a single stringed instrument. They will test how it works, demonstrating how the tension of the string affects the pitch of the notes produced. This could be used as a one-off activity or as part of a wider unit of work focusing on how sound is produced and heard by the human ear. It could also be used to develop modelling and prototyping skills. Download our activity sheet below for a step-by-step guide on how to construct your homemade instrument. As an optional extension students could evaluate the model they have built and suggest improvements that could be made to it. They could also make a manufactured prototype of a single stringed instrument using woods, metals and/or plastics. Alternatively, they could investigate and research the use of pivots and how these work in mechanical systems. This activity will take approximately 40 – 60 minutes. Tools/resources required Parts and materials: Pieces of card Hollow card boxes Paper fasteners Elastic bands Tools and equipment: Scissors Hole punches The engineering context Engineers need to be able to understand how sound is produced and heard by the human ear. This knowledge could be used when designing musical instruments or products that produce different sounds, such as games for children. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will have an understanding of how sound is produced from a stringed instrument. They will also have an understanding of how changing the tightness/tension of a string alters the pitch of the notes produced. Finally, they will be able to construct and test a model of a single stringed instrument. 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 https://education.theiet.org/primary/teaching-resources/make-a-homemade-musical-instrument/

How to Draw a Section Drawing 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 design and technology and maths. This resource focusses on creating a section drawing of a product. Different types of drawing are used to communicate different types of information. Section drawings are a type of 2D drawing that show the parts or features inside a product. In effect, a section drawing shows the view as if the product has been cut in half – most typically this is along the longer dimension of the product, such as its length. Section drawings are used to show what the inside of a product looks like and how the parts of a product fit together. Producing a section drawing develops drawing skills, whilst simultaneously allowing concepts such as dimensions, proportion and scale to be introduced in a practical context. In this activity learners will produce a section drawing of a safety helmet worn by cyclists, working in proportion and ideally to scale. This could be used as a one-off activity or linked to other D&T activities, such as product analysis or exploded drawing (especially when using the extension activity, creating a section drawing of a pen). It could also be used in conjunction with the IET Faraday Primary Poster – Section Views. 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. 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.

Simple sliders and levers can be used to create movement in a picture. This activity teaches participants how levers and sliders work and how they can be used to create an engaging moving picture in a card or a book. How can I teach levers and sliders? This could be used in Key Stage 1 as a stand-alone activity or as a KS1 introduction to a design and technology project, such as: a greetings card - for example, a Christmas card where Santa’s sleigh moves across the sky a story detailing a journey – for example, inspired by a book they are reading (such as ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’); alternatively, this could be a fictional journey of their own devising the development of the book could be carried out as a class activity where each table or group of pupils works together to produce one or two pages, contributing to the book produced by the full class. This could also be linked to a story-writing activity in literacy a moving display - for example, charting the different activities carried out during a day, where the slider or lever indicates the changing time. On completing either model, pupils could also apply colour to their mechanism or add details to the background. Tools/resources required Copies of the moving pictures handout, printed on card, 1 per pupil (plus spares) Plain card (for the simple slider and lever backgrounds) Split pin-type metal fasteners (1 per pupil plus spares – see image in presentation) Scissors Sticky tape Glue sticks Optional Coloured pencils Hole punches (ideally single hole punches) Pre-made models of each mechanism, for demonstration Download the activity sheets for free! 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. All activity sheets and supporting resources for this KS1 DT activity are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Please do share your learning highlights with us @IETeducation.

In this activity pupils will assemble a simple electric circuit. This is a great way for KS2 students to develop an understanding of how electric circuits function. This free resource could be used in KS2 as an engaging stand-alone activity to introduce circuits, as an introduction to a design and make project (such as the doorbell activity) or as an extension to add a powered element to another design and make activity (such as adding a motor to the ‘cardboard cars’ activity). This activity will take approximately 50-60 minutes. Tools/resources required Projector/Whiteboard Components: 2 x AA batteries in holder Electric motor (e.g. 3V 13100 Rpm DC Motor) 3 lengths of wire, each 100-150 mm long (only a single length is required if a battery holder with attached wires is used) Either: 2 metal split pin fasteners and 1 paper clip per pupil, or one switch per pupil Sticky tape or electrical insulation tape. If needed: wire cutters/strippers (to cut excess wire lengths) (Potential sources for these components include Rapid online and TTS group) Optional: Hole punches (ideally single hole punches) Pre-made models of the circuit, for demonstration Electrical circuits An electrical circuit is a group of components that are connected together, typically using wires. The wires are typically copper metal, which is highly conductive, coated with insulating plastic, to prevent electric shocks. The circuit must be continuous (i.e., have no breaks) to allow electricity to flow through the components and back to its source, such as a battery. Switches make a gap in the circuit to stop electricity flowing when they are open. The components included in an electric circuit could range from motors, light sources and buzzers to programmable integrated circuits. The engineering context Circuits form the basis of all electrical equipment, ranging from lighting in homes to televisions and computers. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will be able to construct an electrical switch, they will understand that a complete circuit is required for electricity to flow and they will be able to construct an electrical circuit. Download the free How to make a simple electrical circuit 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

Looking at linkages using card models In this activity pupils will make models of three simple linkages from card. This is a fun STEM activity and a great way for KS2 to learn all about simple linkages. This resource could be used as a stand-alone activity or as an introduction to a design and make project, such as a greetings card with moving parts, a moving poster or display or a ‘grabber’ to pick things up. Activity: It can be advantageous to use a hole punch to create the holes where needed as this reduces the risk of tearing. Alternatively, the holes could be made by pushing through the card with a sharp pencil, into a piece of modelling clay. If tearing does occur, this can be addressed by using sticky tape on the rear of the part or background. For a moving pivot, the fastener goes through the two moving card parts and is opened up; for a fixed pivot, the fastener goes through a moving part and the background is opened up. Guides can be attached using sticky tape at each end. Whilst glue could be used, in practice this may not provide a sufficiently strong joint. As an extension activity students could produce a composite linkage that changes a single input motion into different types of output motion. Alternatively, students could create a moving model of an animal. The presentation can be downloaded below and includes detailed images for the making tasks plus additional support information for the teacher, such as examples of linkages made by pupils. Tools/resources required Copies of the linkages handout, printed on card, 1 per pupil (plus spares) Scissors Sticky tape Glue sticks Optional: Hole punches (ideally single hole punches) Pre-made models of each linkage, for demonstration The engineering context A mechanism is a group of parts that allow or change movement in some way. In practice almost all products that contain moving parts – ranging from scissors to pop-up books to car engines – include some form of mechanism. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will be able to identify the parts of a linkage, they will know how simple linkages change the direction of motion and they will be able to cut and assemble simple linkages using card and scissors. 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

Design and make a card model of a car body from a net In this engaging engineering activity for kids, pupils will learn about nets, wheels, and axles. They will combine these technologies to make the base and body for a cardboard car. This activity introduces and builds on knowledge of nets to make a complex three-dimensional shape suitable for the body shell of a car. It could be used at KS1 to develop practical skills making nets. Pupils may want to customise their car bodies by adding colour or graphics. However, please note that this needs to be done before the body is stuck together. Furthermore, it can reduce the risk of tearing if this is done before the net is cut out. As an optional extension, students could also customise the design of their vehicles, or even design their own body shells. The fold lines on the handout are all ‘valley’ folds – that means they are on the inside angle when produced. If they were on the outer face they could be referred to as hill folds. This activity will take 30-60 minutes to complete. Tools/resources required Copies of the car body handout, printed on card, 1 per pupil (plus spares) Scissors Glue sticks Optional: Sticky tape or double sided sticky tape Coloured pencils Hole punches (ideally single hole punches) Pre-made model of the example shape, for demonstration (this could be made large size, for example by printing out on A3 card) The engineering context Nets are used to make almost all forms of card packaging, ranging from simple cereal boxes with clear polymer ‘windows’, to display stands. A large supermarket may contain hundreds of thousands of different nets! Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity learners will know that 3D shapes can be constructed from nets using folds and tabs and they will be able to make a complex 3D shape from a 2D net. 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

Investigate how different battery voltages affect their brightness is key to understanding how series electrical circuits work. In this fun exercise for KS2, students will construct three separate lamp circuits: one powered by a single AA battery, one powered by two AA batteries and one powered by three AA batteries. Students will learn about current, voltage and how simple series circuits work. Activity: Investigating lamp brightness This resource is part of a collection of free STEM 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 the investigation of how different supply voltages affect the brightness of a lamp. This activity could be used as a one-off activity or as part of a wider unit of work focusing on electricity and electrical circuits. It can be completed as individuals or in small groups, dependent on the components available. How long will this activity take? This activity will take approximately 45-75 minutes to complete. Parts and components required: Red and black crocodile clips 1.5 V AA batteries and holders with wires 4.5 V lamps and holders The engineering context Engineers need to be able to understand how basic electrical circuits work. This includes current flow and how supply voltage affects the brightness of lamps in simple series circuits. This knowledge could be used when investigating, designing, or making electrical and electronic circuits in the future. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will have an understanding of what is meant by the terms current and voltage, they will have an understanding of why the brightness of a lamp changes with the number and voltage of the batteries that it is connected to, and they will be able to construct simple series circuits using batteries, lamps and crocodile clips. Download the free Investigating lamp brightness activity sheet! 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

Making a maze game from a bottle and a magnet Learners will draw a maze layout on a plastic bottle and use a magnet to guide objects, such as a 1p coin, around the maze. This is a fun STEM challenge that will teach students about how magnets attract certain materials and will show them how to apply this knowledge in an engaging and practical way. This resource could be used as a one-off activity or as part of a wider unit of work focussing 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. Activity: Magnetic maze STEM challenge 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 developing understanding of magnetic materials by producing a maze game. This activity could be completed as individuals or in small groups depending on the equipment that is available. As an optional extension students could replace the coin with a ball bearing, a paper clip, a plastic coin and a small piece of wood. Which ones work well and which do not? Students could also draw different maze layouts and use different sized bottles to create a range of puzzle products! Alternatively, students could compete with their friends to see who can complete the maze the fastest by timing themselves with stopwatches. Tools/resources required Pre-made exemplar Magnets 1 pence coins (post 1992) Plastic drinks bottles Paper clips (for extension activity) Ball bearings (for extension activity) Plastic coins (for extension activity) Small pieces of wood (for extension activity) Different coloured marker pens Stopwatches (for extension activity) 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. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this exercise students will have an understanding of what makes a material magnetic, they will be able to give examples of magnetic and non-magnetic materials and they will be able to make a maze game using a bottle and a magnet. 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

Investigating everyday products to see if they are magnetic In this activity learners will predict whether they think different products are magnetic based on the material that each product is made from. They will then test their theory by using magnets, to see whether or not each product is attracted to a magnet. This resource is a great way for KS2 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 the IET Education ‘Magnet Madness’ resource, developed alongside the School of Engineering at Cardiff University. 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 identifying whether everyday products are made from magnetic materials. This activity could be completed as individuals, in pairs or in small groups. Learners could be given all the products at once to test, or the teacher may wish to lead through one product at a time, recapping the key tasks and questions for them to consider as they go through. Discussion topics and key questions for learners can be found on the presentation below and detailed instructions on how to complete the activity can be found on the activity sheet. This activity will take approximately 40-60 minutes to complete. Tools/resources required Magnets Plastic drinks cups 2 pence coins Steel door keys Aluminium drinks cans Steel paper clips Wooden toy cars 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. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this exercise students will know which materials are magnetic and which are not, they will be able to give examples of magnetic and non-magnetic materials and they will be able to test products to see whether they are made from magnetic materials. Download the free How do magnets work? 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

Prepare a suitable housing for the circuity, assemble the circuit and produce a wand and maze layout for the game In this hands-on STEM project students will learn how to make and test a steady hand game circuit. They will prepare a suitable housing for the circuit, assemble the circuit themselves and produce a wand and maze layout for the game. This is a great way for primary school students to learn all about how simple circuits work and develop their understanding of what is meant by the terms ‘make’ and ‘break’ when referring to the flow of current around a circuit. This could be used as a one-off activity or as part of a wider unit of work focusing on electricity and electrical circuits. It could also be used in conjunction with the IET Education Primary Poster – Circuits and Symbols. This activity could be completed as individuals or in small groups, dependent on the tools, equipment and components available. Tools/resources required Plastic cups 350 mm lengths of 2 mm diameter copper wire 150 mm lengths of 2 mm diameter copper wire 150 mm lengths of 1 mm diameter copper wire Multi strand insulated wire or crocodile clips Solder 9 V batteries and clips 9 V buzzers with wires Masking and/or insulating tape Double sided tape and/or sticky pads Pillar drill or electric hand drill 2 mm drill bits Soldering equipment (soldering irons, stands, sponges) Wire cutters and strippers Safety glasses The engineering context Engineers need to be able to understand how basic electrical circuits work. This includes current flow, voltage and how to ‘make’ and ‘break’ circuits. This knowledge could be used when investigating, designing or making electrical and electronic circuits in the future. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will have an understanding of the terms ‘make and break’ when they refer to simple circuits. They will also be able to assemble, fit and test a simple circuit for a steady hand game and they will be able to safely and accurately drill holes in plastic. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets, worksheets and supporting resources are free to download, printable 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

Using lemons and limes to power an LED In this fun STEM activity learners will construct a series circuit consisting of four fruit batteries and an LED. They will learn about the main parts of a battery and how fruit can be used to provide enough voltage to light an LED. They will also investigate how the brightness of the LED changes depending on the number of fruit batteries used in the circuit. 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 the use of fruit to power a light emitting diode (LED). This could be used as a one-off activity or as part of a wider unit of work focusing on electricity and electrical circuits. This activity could be completed as individuals or in small groups, dependent on the components and tools available. Lemons or limes can be used, or a mixture of both. Each lemon or lime should provide between approximately 0.7 and 0.9 V. This can be tested by using a multimeter if required. The total voltage of the series circuit can be calculated by adding up the voltage of each individual battery. This arrangement would produce approximately 2.8 – 3.6 V depending on the voltage of each individual piece of fruit. How long will this activity take? Approximately 40-65 minutes to complete. Tools/resources required Red and black crocodile clips Lemons and/or limes Zinc coated nails 50 mm lengths of 1 mm or 2 mm diameter copper wire Low voltage hi-bright LEDs Wire cutters The engineering context Engineers need to be able to understand how basic electrical circuits work. This includes the main parts of a battery and how they work to power electrical output devices. This knowledge could be used when investigating, designing or making electrical and electronic circuits in the future. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will understand how fruit can be used to make batteries that can power electrical output devices, they will know the main parts that make up a battery and they will be able to construct a series fruit battery circuit that lights an 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. Please share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Understanding aerodynamics by making and testing an aerofoil Aerofoils are designed to allow aircraft to fly. The design of these is crucial to minimise drag and increase lift. 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 understanding aerodynamics and making a simple aerofoil. Students will learn about the terms lift, drag, and thrust and how these apply to aircraft. This engaging activity will build knowledge of aerodynamics theory and how this can be applied. This could be used as a one-off main lesson activity, as an introductory lesson to a wider unit of work focusing on aerodynamics or as part of a scheme on aircraft design using all of the resources developed in association with Arconic. It could also be used to support our existing IET Faraday resources. This activity can be completed as individuals or in small groups. A small piece of paper (A5) would be suitable to make the aerofoil. Air could be applied by blowing or using an electric fan on a low setting. The aerofoil could also be attached to the desk with a piece of spring during the testing to prevent it from moving backwards and so that flight can be more easily observed. This could be fed through the space inside the aerofoil, and taped to the desktop at both ends, allowing some slack so that it can raise/fly. Alternatively, a wood dowel could be inserted loosely through a hole made in the top and bottom of the aerofoil. This activity will take approximately 50-60 minutes to complete. Tools/resources required Projector/Whiteboard Small pieces of paper or thin card Tape, e.g. masking tape String Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity students will have an understanding of the terms lift, drag and thrust, they will have an understanding of how an aerofoil works and they will be able to make and test a simple aerofoil design. 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

How to draw an exploded view 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 design and technology and maths. This resource focusses on drawing exploded views of products. Different types of drawing are used to communicate different types of information. Exploded views show how the component parts of a product relate to each other. These are widely used to support the assembly of products, for maintenance activities and when building flat pack furniture at home. Producing an exploded view develops drawing skills, whilst simultaneously allowing concepts such as dimensions, proportion and scale to be introduced in a practical context. In this activity learners will produce an exploded view drawing of a pen, working in proportion and ideally to scale. This could be used as a one-off activity, an extension to maths learning on scale, or linked to D&T activities such as product analysis or section drawing. It could also be used in conjunction with the IET primary poster – Exploded Views. 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. 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.

Learn how to make a doorbell circuit in this fun STEM activity for KS2 This fun STEM activity for kids will teach you all about electrical switches and will show you how to build your own doorbell circuit! In this activity pupils will assemble a doorbell circuit. This develops understanding of how switches are used and how electrical circuits function. This could be used as a KS2 engineering activity or as a design and make or general STEM project. The presentation, which can be downloaded below, includes an image of the circuit and detailed instructions on preparing and joining the wires. As an alternative switch for an extension activity, a ‘blister switch’ is an improvement on the metal foil switch. It comprises of two pieces of foil, each connected to the circuit, but separated by a piece of card in which a square or circle is cut. The foil needs to be taut over the cut-out hole. When the top piece of foil is pressed, this should make a connection; and when pressure is released, the foil should cease to make contact. This activity will take approximately 70 – 90 minutes. Tools/resources required Projector/Whiteboard Components: 4 x AA batteries in holder Buzzers (e.g. Miniature Electronic Buzzer 6v) 3 lengths of wire, each 100-150 mm long (only a single length is required if a battery holder with attached wires is used; no wires will be needed if the buzzer also has attached wires) 2 metal split pin fasteners per pupil A7 card, 1 piece per pupil Sticky tape or electrical insulation tape. (Potential sources for the components include Rapid online and TTS group) If needed: Wire cutters/strippers Optional: Hole punches (ideally single hole punches) A7 card, 1 per pupil Metal foil A4 card and coloured pencils Scissors Pre-made model of the circuit, for demonstration The engineering context Circuits form the basis of all electrical equipment, ranging from lighting in home to televisions and computers. An electrical circuit is a group of components that are connected together, typically using wires. The wires are usually copper metal, which is highly conductive, coated with insulating plastic, to prevent electric shocks. The circuit must be continuous (i.e. have no breaks) to allow electricity to flow through the components and back to its source, such as a battery. Switches operate as an input device that make a gap in the circuit to stop electricity flowing when they are open. A circuit will normally also have at least one output device, such as a buzzer to produce sound or a bulb to produce light. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this project students will be able to construct an electrical switch and they will also be able to understand that a complete circuit is required for electricity to flow. 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.

Using 2D nets to make 3D shapes Make 3D shapes using cube nets then use this understanding to build a 3D pyramid. This activity introduces the concept of making 3D shapes using 2D nets. Participants use shape nets, to make three-dimensional shapes from two-dimensional images including a cube and pyramid. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this series of activities, pupils will learn about nets and wheels and axles. They will combine these technologies to make the base and body for a vehicle made from card. It could be used at Key Stage 1 to introduce nets and develop practical skills. 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. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation Tools/resources required Copies of the nets pyramid and nets cube handouts, printed on card, 1 per pupil (plus spares) Scissors Glue sticks Optional Sticky tape or double-sided sticky tape Pre-made models of each shape, for demonstration (these could be made large size, for example by printing out on A3 card) 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. 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 classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Primary classroom poster exploring how information technology is used outside school. Download the single poster or order a full set of posters for free form the IET Education website.

Primary classroom poster giving a closer look at some of the applications of engineering in our everyday lives. Download the single poster or order a full set of posters for free from the IET Education website.

Primary classroom poster showing useful rules to observe when using electricity both in and outside the home. Download the single poster or order a full set of posters from the IET Education website.

Primary classroom poster showing useful rules to observe when using electricity in the home. Download the single poster or order a full set of posters for free from the IET Education website.