Designing footwear for sports use Trainers are one of the most commonly worn shoes in our culture. They provide comfortable support for our feet as we go about our active lives as students, athletes, educators and engineers. The design of trainers (and all athletic shoes) is based on how they will be used and is an example of bioengineering. This activity introduces the concept of research through product analysis to support the design process. The main activity involves designing a trainer. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will use the theme of the London Marathon to respond to a design context, investigate existing products for inspiration and design a trainer. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to develop skills in designing. It could also be used to introduce the review of existing products to inspire design solutions. Tools/resources required Pens, pencils and drawing instruments Variety of trainers/shoes for comparison 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 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation

Design a sports wheelchair for a Marathon race This activity is focused on the design of racing wheelchairs, but also develops understanding about the use of search engines. It considers the use of different search terms when using internet-based research using search engines and how this affects the outcomes of the search. The main activity involves designing a racing wheelchair considering key aspects to enhance its performance. The first London Marathon wheelchair race took place in 1983 in which 19 people took part with 17 completing the race. The winner, Gordon Perry, set a winning time of just over 3 hours and 20 minutes. With the advancements in engineering and technology since that date, wheelchair racing has come a long way, and in 2021, Marcel Hug won the London Marathon’s men’s wheelchair race setting a new course record with a time of just over 1 hour and 26 minutes! Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will use the theme of the London Marathon to respond to a design context, investigate the context on the internet and design a wheelchair for sports use. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to develop skills in designing. It could also be used to teach learners about how to search the internet effectively to gain the information that is most applicable to their requirements. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required Pens, pencils and drawing instruments Computer access for internet searching 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.

Make a map of the route with information about the famous landmarks London is not only one of the busiest cities in the world but is also home to some of the most unique and historical buildings and landmarks that many hundreds of thousands of tourists visit every year. This activity introduces the making of route maps, highlighting key landmarks and information within them, in our capital city. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will use the theme of the London Marathon and the making of a route map to highlight key London landmarks. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity, to teach learners about the making of route maps with the highlighting of key landmarks at set distances on the London Marathon. This contributes to learning in geography and developing skills making graphic products in Design & Technology. As part of a wider scheme, it may also be used for the purposes of focusing on the use of maps and how more detailed information may be included in them. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required Sticky tape Scissors Rulers Glue sticks Backing card 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.

Designing a charity costume to wear on the day The London Marathon takes place every year and is a great opportunity for charities to raise money to support their causes. Can you design an eye-catching costume that runners can wear whilst taking part? Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity, learners will use the theme of the London Marathon to design a costume for participants who are raising money for charity. They will consider how modern and smart fabrics could be used in their design, such as those that wick moisture. They will then use their knowledge to develop a suitable outcome to match the given design brief. This could be used as a one-off main lesson activity to develop designing skills in Design & Technology and understanding of fabric types in textiles. Alternatively, it could be used as a part of a wider scheme of work to develop designing and graphical skills in Design & Technology. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required Paper Pens, pencils and coloured pencils/pens 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.

Learners can make their own storytelling kit using the word cards provided and then extend their story by adding their own words and creating illustrations for their stories. Word cards can be a great way to help build learners’ vocabulary – giving them cards with words to read, understand and put into a sentence, or providing them with blank cards to add their own words and imagery to use as visual aids upon recall. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will learn about sentence structure and storytelling. Learners will make their own storytelling kit using a range of word cards that use nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives and conjunctions and use these to create stories. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity, to teach learners about the use of words and their spelling. It could also support verbal construction of sentences. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required Glue sticks Thin card Scissors 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.

Decorating a classroom door with a book theme World Book Day is an annual event where people come together to celebrate and promote books and reading. This resource was inspired by World Book Day and supports the development of literacy by creating a decorated door that will inspire learners to find out more about books. When passing through the door, learners could imagine that they are exiting their normal reality into the reality created in that literature. The decorated door could be produced by a teacher or teaching assistant; however, here the learners themselves will design and create the displays. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will identify a favourite book and use this as inspiration to design a decorated door. This links reading in English, the design process in Design & Technology and the use of art skills to produce the design. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity, to support learners’ engagement in literacy. It could also be used as a learner-led means of generating class/door displays. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required These will depend upon the designs, but could include: Paper and/or card, writing and colouring implements, lining paper etc. Access to an image bank, either printed out or electronic with access to a colour printer. Scissors and glue sticks. Sticky tack. A selection of books for inspiration. 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.

Learn about ancient Egypt and discover how to write your name in hieroglyphics In this fun and engaging activity for kids, students will learn about ancient Egyptian writing systems. Students will understand what hieroglyphics are and how they were used in ancient Egypt. They will then learn how to write their name in hieroglyphics. Resources and activity sheets are included to provide support for teachers. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will discover how to write in hieroglyphics. This could be used as a main lesson activity, to teach learners about the works of the ancient Egyptians contributing to learning in D&T, Art and History. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content Write in hieroglyphics activity Write in hieroglyphics presentation Write in hieroglyphics handout Tools/resources required Paper Pens/pencils 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.

**Make a pyramid out of paper and learn how to calculate its volume ** Students will understand how to make a pyramid out of paper in this fun activity for kids. Students will create both small and large pyramids. Students will learn about scale by comparing the large pyramids with the smaller pyramids. Following this, students will learn how to calculate the volume of the pyramids. This activity will test students’ maths abilities, as well as teach them historical facts about ancient Egypt. Resources and activity sheets are provided to support teachers. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will learn about 3D structures within a graphical project. Learners will have an opportunity to use a net to make pyramids of different sizes. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content Make a pyramid activity Make a pyramid presentation Make a pyramid handout Tools/resources required Glue sticks Paper Rulers Scissors Calculators Sticky tack (optional) 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.

**In this activity for kids, students will make simulated papyrus from paper. ** Students will learn how papyrus was created in ancient Egypt. They will then create papyrus using a weaving technique and natural glue like the one used by the ancient Egyptians. Resources and activity sheets are supplied to support teachers. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will discover the one method of making papyrus and how it was made in Ancient Egyptian times. They will know how to create the paper using a weaving technique, using a natural glue similar to that created by the reeds. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content Make papyrus activity Make papyrus presentation Tools/resources required Per learner: 1 sheet of A3 paper (or 2 of A4) 4 strips of masking tape 1 Cup of sugar 2 Cups of water Scissors Tape Large bowl Rolling pin Aluminium foil or wax paper 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.

**Learn about ancient Egypt and discover how to make a snake bracelet inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery ** This activity for kids will teach students how to make a snake bracelet inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery. This activity will encourage students to design and create, as well as teach them historical facts about ancient Egypt. Resources and activity sheets are provided to help teachers support their students. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will make an example of a bracelet inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery using air drying clay. There are related activities that involve making an alternative form of bracelet and necklaces. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content Make an Egyptian snake bracelet activity Make an Egyptian snake bracelet presentation Tools/resources required Air drying clay Sequins 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.

Learn about ancient Egypt and discover how to make a bracelet inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery This activity for kids will teach students how to make a bracelet inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery. This activity will encourage students’ creativity and teach them historical facts about ancient Egypt. Resources and activity sheets are provided to help teachers support their students. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will make an example of a bracelet inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery from easily sourced materials. There are related activities that involve making an alternative form of bracelet and necklaces. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content Make an Egyptian bracelet activity Make an Egyptian bracelet presentation Tools/resources required Carboard tube Paint & brush Gold paint Braid String Scissors Items for decoration 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.

Discover marine engineering for kids and learn how to make a model of a sail boat out of craft sticks This marine engineering activity for kids will teach students how to make a model of a sailboat out of craft sticks. Students will learn facts about the United Kingdom’s rich history in the field of marine engineering. This includes building sailing ships like the HMS Victory, commanded by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. Resources for teachers and activity sheets are provided to help students further their engineering abilities. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners use of the theme of significant turning points in British history, specifically their achievements in marine engineering, to make a model of a sail boat from craft sticks. They will then test their model to see if it floats. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content How to build a small sail boat activity How to build a small sail boat presentation Tools/resources required PVA glue Glue spreader Craft sticks Highlighter pens or paints Material for the sail e.g. paper or card 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.

Learn how to use pasta to make an item of jewellery inspired by the ancient Egyptians This activity for kids will teach students how to make an item of jewellery out of pasta inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery. This activity will encourage students to design and create, as well as teach them historical facts about ancient Egypt. Resources are provided for teachers to help their students. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will make an example of a necklace inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery from easily sourced materials. There are related activities that involve making an alternative form of necklace and bracelets. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content Make an Egyptian pasta necklace activity Make an Egyptian pasta necklace presentation Tools/resources required Pasta tubes (e.g. Penne) Ribbon Paint & brush Pom poms & sequins Paperclip Scissors 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.

**Discover how to make a necklace inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery ** In this activity for kids, students will learn how to make an item of jewellery inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery. This activity will teach students historical facts about ancient Egypt and encourage them to design and create. Resources are provided for teachers to help students make a necklace inspired by the jewellery of the ancient Egyptians. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will make an example of a necklace inspired by ancient Egyptian jewellery from easily sourced materials. There are related activities that involve making an alternative form of necklace and bracelets. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content • Make an Egyptian necklace activity • Make an Egyptian necklace presentation Tools/resources required Metallic card Kitchen roll/toilet roll tube x3 Gold/silver/bronze paint PVA Glue/glue dots Scissors Rope/cord pre-cut into three lengths 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.

Learn how to write numbers in hieroglyphics Through this activity students will learn what hieroglyphics are and how they were used by the ancient Egyptians. They will then discover how to write numbers in hieroglyphics and how to use them to carry out basic numeracy functions. This fun activity will test students’ maths abilities, as well as teach them historical facts about ancient Egypt. Resources are included to provide support for teachers. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will discover how to write numbers in hieroglyphics. This could be used as a main lesson activity, to teach learners about the works of the ancient Egyptians contributing to learning in D&T, History and Mathematics or as an alternative method of reinforcing learning in basic numeracy. Additionally, this could be used to start a discussion on Ancient Egypt or to introduce the concept of people using different languages. It could also be used in conjunction with the other IET activities in this theme, ‘Making Papyrus’ and ‘Write like an Egyptian’. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Downloadable content • Count using hieroglyphics activity • Count using hieroglyphics presentation Tools/resources required • Paper • Pens/pencils 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.

Testing materials to see which material is the most suitable for a wheel This resource has been developed with the support of the Bugatti Trust Museum and Study Centre and focuses on testing materials to see which material is the most suitable for a wheel using Engineering and Math’s skills. Ettore Bugatti was the founder and designer of Bugatti sports cars. He was the first designer to use aluminium wheels to decrease the weight of Grand Prix racing cars, designing one of the most successful racing cars in the world. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links In this activity learners will test various discs made from different materials to see how they perform as a wheel. This activity could be used as a main lesson activity to teach learners about the physical properties of materials or approaches to testing in the context of practical applications. It could also be used as part of an introduction to the practical use of numeracy within engineering. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required • Discs of material, 140 mm diameter with a 10 mm central hole; for example, steel, aluminium, acrylic, plywood • Metal bar or pipe, 8-10 mm diameter • G clamps or vices • Masking tape • Weights – various, 250 g to 1 kg • Stopwatch • Calculators • Rulers and writing implements • Optional: scales to weigh the discs 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.

In this activity learners will carry out a practical investigation to investigate how spur gears work, including calculation of simple gear ratios and assembling models of simple gear trains. Gears are used to change the speed at which something turns. A series of gears that turn each other are called a ‘gear train.’ This resource has been developed with the support of the Bugatti Trust Museum and Study Centre and focuses on the role of gears in a mechanism. The main activity involves making a series of spur gears to calculate gear ratios and see them working. Activity info, teachers’ notes and curriculum links This activity could be used as a main lesson activity, to introduce the concept of gears in D&T or the practical use of ratios in maths, or as part of a project/series of lessons creating a mechanised object. 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 learning highlights and final creations with us on social media @IETeducation or send them via email to IETEducation@theiet.org to be featured in our online gallery. Tools/resources required • Scissors • Glue sticks • Sharp pencil • Card and Split pins • Blu Tack (for piercing the card safely) • Cardboard (Alternative: foam board and thumb tacks) 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.

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

Code breaking using maths calculations. In this activity learners will carry out math’s calculations to break codes based on the zodiac animals of the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, is an annual 15-day festival observed in China and Chinese communities around the world. It corresponds to the new moon that occurs between January 21 and February 20. Each year is based on one of twelve animal zodiac signs. All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Writing instruments (pens, pencils, erasers) Calculators 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

Learning how to write using traditional Chinese handwriting. In this activity learners will use the theme of the Chinese and Lunar New Year to learn about and make use of Chinese calligraphy. They will learn about different types of ‘script’, what is meant by a Xuan, and how to write numbers using Chinese Regular script. There are five major script types used today in China: seal script, clerical script, cursive script, running script and standard script. Regular script means the proper script type of Chinese writing and is used by all Chinese for government documents and printed books. Download the activity sheets for free! All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs. Tools/resources required Pencils Paintbrush Paint Pot of water to clean brush 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