Use a number balance see-saw This engaging activity is designed for KS1 to enhance students’ addition and subtraction skills through a practical and engaging approach! Learners will use a model of a see-saw to balance a range of numbers. They will then decide how many items need to be added or subtracted to bring the see-saw into balance. By actively participating in this hands-on exercise, learners will gain a deeper understanding of addition and subtraction as they work to achieve equilibrium on the see-saw by carefully selecting and arranging various numbers. This activity could be used as a main lesson to teach learners how to make a model see-saw and solve number problems using the prompts in the presentation and carried out in pairs or small groups. To get started, download the activity sheet containing a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on building the see-saw. Additionally, we have included printable box templates for your convenience. Students can easily position these box templates onto the see-saw and then experiment by placing coins or marbles into the boxes, effectively achieving balance on the see-saw. The engineering context Engineers rely on problem-solving daily to find solutions to a wide array of issues. For instance, when an aerospace systems engineer is tasked with determining the amount of cargo that can be loaded onto a rocket bound for a space station, they will skilfully adjust the contents, either adding or removing items, to ensure that the cargo meets the precise weight requirement. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this activity, students will be able to solve one-step problems that involve addition and subtraction, and they will be able to make a see-saw model and solve practical balance number problems. Download for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable so that you can tailor them to your students and your schools’ needs. The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, helpful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Please share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

In this simple STEM activity for kids learners will investigate how a balloon can be used as a simple speaker. They will blow up the balloon, tap it and listen to how to sounds travel through it. They will then discuss the outcome of their experiment and explain why the balloon speaker works in the way that it does. This activity could be used as a starter activity to introduce the concept of sound and how it travels, or as one of several activities within a wider scheme of learning focusing on sound. Activity: Balloon speakers 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 maths and science. This resource focuses on using a balloon as a simple speaker to amplify sound. What happens when you tap the balloon? What can you hear and feel? Why do you think this is happening? This is a quick and easy STEM activity that will take approximately 15 – 20 minutes. The engineering context Engineers must understand how speakers work in order to successfully design products that use them, such as phones, music players and TVs. Sound engineers must understand how sound can be amplified and transmitted from one place to another. For example, at a concert. Understanding how speakers work is a very important part of this. Suggested learning outcomes By the end of this exercise students will know that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium in the ear. They will also be able to use a balloon as a simple speaker and explain how it works. Lastly, they will understand how pushing air closely together affects the volume of sound travelling through it. Download the Balloon speakers 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

Secondary classroom poster where your students can find out more about the ‘Engineer a Better World’ campaign. Download or order a full set of posters for free from the IET Education website.

Secondary classroom poster where Professor Eleanor Stride explains her innovative research using bubble engineering. Download the single poster or order a full set for free from the IET Education website.

In this activity learners will sketch and annotated design for a sustainable pair of sunglasses aimed at the young professional adults of the future. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to teach learners about generating design ideas or sketching, or part of a wider scheme of learning covering design processes and techniques. It could also be used as part of an introduction to sustainability issues, such as the negative impact of plastic waste on the environment. Resources required: A4 or A3 paper, if not using handout Pencils, pens, coloured pencils and sketching tools Optional, if available: 3D CAD software for extension activity Download the activity sheets for free! And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Assessing the probability of a particular situation occurring in a power station In this lesson students will use event tree analysis to roleplay an exercise where they quantify the risk of safety systems failing in a power station. This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the class teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3. It has been designed to support the delivery of key topics within mathematics. In this activity, students will roleplay the following scenario: ‘A power station experiences a loss of coolant to its reactor about once per year. To prevent a dangerous explosion, a set of controls are in place. Firstly, an alarm which alerts the operator, this works on 99% of occasions. If this does fail various other systems will become operational to monitor the issue and prevent disaster.’ Using the examples in our Power station event analysis handout and Event analysis presentation, students will learn how event tree analysis can be used to model the probability of the risk of safety systems failing. Students can also use our Event analysis simulator tree spreadsheet to run simulations to check their workings. Download our activity overview for a detailed lesson plan (including answers) for teaching students about event tree analysis. The engineering context Event trees allow engineers to visualise the chain of events that could lead to system failures. Analysing the probabilities of these events helps them understand the likelihood of various outcomes as part of their efforts to design measures that can help to mitigate risks. Suggested learning outcomes In this lesson, students will learn about frequency trees, probability, and relative frequency. Download our activity sheet and other 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 (including the video), and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your class’s and your schools’ needs. You can download our classroom lesson plan for free! Please do share your highlights with us @IETeducation.

Calculate the cross-sectional areas of different aqueducts to determine which is most effective In this STEM activity students will investigate different aqueduct shapes to determine which is the most efficient design. This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the class teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3. It has been designed to support the delivery of key topics within mathematics and engineering. Activity: Calculating the cross-sectional areas of different aqueducts In this lesson, students must calculate the cross-sectional area of various aqueducts to determine which one is most effective in terms of least water lost via evaporation. Using our Aqueduct presentation, learners will be introduced to the engineering behind aqueducts by estimating the volume of water follow through the aqueduct in one second. Students will then calculate the cross-sectional areas of various aqueduct shapes, including rectangles and trapezoids. To do this, learners must apply their understanding trigonometry to find the missing side lengths. Alternatively, students can use this GeoGebra file to calculate the area of the trapezium. Download our activity overview for an introductory lesson plan on trigonometry for free! The engineering context Aqueducts are constructed to carry water across gaps such as valleys or ravines. In modern engineering, the term aqueduct is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose. Aqueducts can be used to enable water to be transported to areas where it is in short supply. Suggested learning outcomes In this activity students will apply their knowledge of mathematics such as calculating the area of a rectangle and trapezium or the volume of a cuboid. They will also be able to specifically apply their knowledge of trigonometry. Finally, they’ll learn how to plot graphs using a table of values. Download our activity sheet and other 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 class’s and your schools’ needs. You can download our classroom lesson plan for free!

Designing and making a zip line for a toy This is a project to build a model of a zip Line. It could be carried out in pairs but will work for individuals. It requires some space to complete successfully but can be executed both indoors and outdoors. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to teach learners about the effect of gravity on a body falling in a controlled manner, friction or the practical application of trigonometry. Resources required: String or thin rope, 10m should be enough A ‘passenger’ for the zip line Paper clips or stiff wire Sticky tape A stopwatch or a stopwatch App on a phone A ruler or tape measure A protractor Some paper and a pen to take notes Download the activity sheets for free! And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Use fractions, percentages and averages to decide the best footballer In this engaging activity students will explore statistics and use them to decide on a ranking of football players. Football players are ranked in different ways and there are a variety of awards that they can be rewarded with. Each year the Ballon D’Or is awarded to the player judged to be the ‘best’. The Golden Ball is given to the best player in the World Cup tournament. In this activity, pupils are presented with data and can use it to decide who they consider to be the best footballer. The purpose of this activity is to explore statistics and to use them to decide on a ranking of football players. Pupils will compare data and use average scores to find ways of comparing data and making decisions. 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 as a classroom lesson plan and PowerPoint presentation And please do share your learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Describing a sports team using fractions and percentages In this fun maths activity, students will test their fractions and percentage skills by looking at football teams. Before a big competition a squad is selected and from that the final team will be chosen. In this activity we describe the squad using fractions and percentages and then select a team. Can someone else work out which team has been selected from the fractions and percentages used to describe it? The purpose of this activity is to deepen understanding of fractions and percentages as ways to describe proportion or parts of a whole. There are opportunities to look at equivalent fractions and equivalence between fractions and percentages. 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 as either a classroom lesson plan or PowerPoint presentation 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

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

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

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

Make edible snowmen from puffed rice and marshmallow This easy STEM themed baking activity lets students use puffed rice cereal, marshmallows and decorative items to create snowmen Rice Krispie treats! Baking is engineering. It is uses science, maths and technology skills to engineer and create solutions and new tasty products. So, engineers need all these skills – precision in weighing out ingredients, the safety required in the kitchen and product design and quality engineering to test, taste and improve with each bake! 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 #SantaLovesSTEM

A set of printable resources and guidance notes giving teachers and technicians the basic ingredients to run their very own Faraday Challenge Day. This cross-curricular activity day brings science, design and technology, engineering and maths together in an engaging way. The IHEEM challenge is based on the IET Faraday® Challenge of the same name from our 2021/22 season of IET Faraday® Challenge Days. Students are given an engineering brief (found in the student booklet) to help IHEEM to design a prototype which could be used in a children’s hospital to make a stay in hospital more comfortable and relaxing for young patients and their families, carers and friends. They will need to demonstrate that they have the engineering skills required to engineer and construct a working prototype of their design and pitch their products to the judges. Designed for six teams of six students (36 students in total) aged 12-13 years (year 8 England, and equivalent), the challenge encourages the development of students’ problem solving, team working and communication skills. This activity day can be tailored to the needs of your school and your students by adapting the PowerPoint presentation and the editable student booklet. What’s included? The complete set of downloadable materials includes: Teachers’ pack A list of the practical materials needed, presenters’ notes highlighting key areas and reinforcing key themes throughout the day, some handy hints on how to deliver the day . . . plus printable Faradays currency and student certificates. Student booklet Available as an editable MSWord document to allow the booklet to be adapted to meets the needs of your students and your school. PowerPoint presentation A step-by-step guide for your students throughout the day, with supporting notes for the delivery of the presentation. Film clip Full briefing video introducing the challenge to your students. All online resources are free to download, and the student booklet and PowerPoint presentation are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. And please do remember to share your activity highlights with us @IETeducation

This Primary IET Faraday® DIY Challenge Challenge Day encourages students to consider how engineers work together to solve real-life problems. It enables students to experience the knowledge, understandings and skills engineers use within their work and the ways in which their strengths can be used to achieve an effective outcome. The students will need to work as a team to design a way of getting lighthouse keepers back to the mainland from a lighthouse based on a small island 200 metres from the nearest land. The design will need to use a zip line to carry the keeper safely across the waves which can be high during storms. The students will have access to the Faraday shop and a budget of Faraday money. They will need to plan what resources to buy and manage and record their budget. At times they may need to make decisions about affordability and effective use and should be encouraged to identify alternative, possibly cheaper, approaches to their final designs. At the end of the challenge day students will be asked to present their prototypes by demonstrating how their design could carry the lighthouse keeper safely to the mainland. Designed for six teams of six students (36 students in total) aged 8-11 years, the challenge encourages the development of students’ problem solving, team working and communication skills. This activity day can be tailored to the needs of your school and your students by adapting the PowerPoint presentation and the editable student booklet. The complete set of free downloadable materials includes: Teachers’ pack A list of the practical materials needed, presenters’ notes highlighting key areas and reinforcing key themes throughout the day, some handy hints on how to deliver the day . . . plus printable Faradays currency and student certificates. Student booklet Available as an editable MSWord document to allow the booklet to be adapted to meets the needs of your students and your school. PowerPoint presentation A step-by-step guide for your students throughout the day, with supporting notes for the delivery of the presentation. And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

Make a non-alcoholic family friendly eggnog this Christmas, and learn about science and mixtures in this quick and easy festive recipe. Learn some amazing scientific facts while making this delicious, creamy Christmas treat - the magic of science is real-life fun! More recently, non-acholic eggnog has become a staple of Christmas celebrations, with Americans drinking over 58 million kilograms each year and Christmas Eve now being named National Eggnog Day. Ingredients needed: 500ml whole milk (swap for unsweetened almond milk if dairy-free or vegan) 200g caster sugar 100ml double cream (swap for full-fat coconut milk if dairy-free or vegan) 100ml water 4 egg yolks (swap for vegan vanilla pudding mix if vegan) 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (remove this ingredient if you are following the vegan recipe) Ice The engineering context Baking is engineering. It is using science, maths and technology skills to engineer and create solutions and new tasty products. Engineers need all these skills – precision in weighing out ingredients, the safety required in the kitchen and product design and quality engineering to test, taste and improve with each delicious creation! Download the free recipe and template! 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. Oh ho ho, and please do share your experiment highlights with us @IETeducation #SantaLovesSTEM