By simply looking at each other the students can "guess" who would win an arm wrestle. Simply looking gives them a little EVIDENCE so they are actually predicting NOT just guessing. BUT just looking is not good enough for dependable predictions so this worksheet is used again but after the PUSH force of every student is measured first using an ERGOMETER (very large newtonmeter) students can then match a small force against a very large one , can be fun, even more fun is when closely balanced forces DO generally take ages and it is the cheering of the rest that decides the winner This sheet allows for some surprises as you will discover the small, weaker students actually beat some bigger students because of training, clubs, etc

Moving on from arm wrestling the students measure their max pulling force. I usually hold one end of the ergometer and the students pull (steadily) the other, the whole class is done...you can have great fun here. (no snatching as it is not fair) 2 goes each and the best force is recorded. You do need a tug of war rope, but it is worth it's weight in gold. Students predict who will win and hopefully see it is not the number of people that counts but the total force 1 vs 1, 2 vs 1, in some cases if the totals are closely balanced 3 vs 1 and it WORKS ultimately the students predict a well balanced war using the whole class (FORCES not number of people is key) students can draw and cut out people write names and forces on them and a poster (with a long piece of string) can be produced to show the 2 teams

I use this often with many groups. The challenge is to protect their raw egg by only using specific materials and amounts (FAIRLY all groups are given exactly the same materials) how much they use is up to them, they can cut, bend etc what they want You must make a wooden jig, simple 2 bits of wood and 3 lengths of dowling, mine has lasted me 20 years so far and does not smell of eggs at all as it is washed everytime The best result I have ever had was a tube(crum,ple zone and balloon (airbag) affair which protected the egg from a 2kg mass dropped on it from over 2m height

This sheet allows for the whole group to be measured one by one with an ergometer, have fun measuring each student's push force(much like a bullworker) for both arms. ie student holds one end of ergometer(large newton meter)in one hand close to waist while the other arm pushes the other end down from above. You can give the class 2 attempts as they watch their peers with better techniques get bigger FORCES and record the higher one Then the fun starts picking arm wrestle competitions, some silly and easily predicted others beautifully balanced

Using red & blue litmus to investigate different substances. Both red & blue results are required for correct results

A basic worksheet with my drawing of a baby inside the womb. Works well with most students and promotes discussion

Moving on from parachuting eggs this activity gets students to accept it will hit hard so must be protected another way

simple worksheet which gets students thinking about everyday appliances in a more scientific way

Short simple quiz that allows you to judge the understanding and level of your students

Short simple quiz that allows you to judge the understanding and level of your students

simple activity to first predict and then to test if predictions were correct different materials tested to see if they are Conductors or insulators

Using only a sheet of A4 the students are challenged to do something to it to make it travel as far as possible, no throwing, just simply let go see how far. You might think that some sort of wings are in order use the elastic bands somehow if they want

Short simple quiz that allows you to judge the understanding and level of your students

Students use hand lenses, magnifiers, whatever you have available....this can lead to a "not fair" discussion as some students only have low magnification. The worksheet contains pictures of very small living things with varrying amounts of legs, antenae, wings, spots, colours...students must use the magnifier to draw as carefully as they can the pictures. The students can then mark their own efforts after you tell them what detail you expected and they should have spotted..be prepared for lots of moaning and a bit of banter.

A simple A4 template that allows students to make a small but useable periscope, you will need the mirror card to glue onto the periscope. Challenges to make them longer...ie make an extension tube...does not need to be square! could be tin foil tube etc...periscope is cut in half and the ends slipped over the extension tube. I have had students make a "sea" out of tables, they crawl around underneath and pop up a periscope in gaps between tables to look around.

A set of experiments designed to get students thinking about possible VARIABLES that may make craters bigger or smaller. This can lead to a full investigation once the student has chosen a "good" (more controlable variable)

A measuring lung capacity activity, staff lead. You will need a large plastic bottle, I used a 5litre (windsreen wash topup bottle-empty and washed, and for smaller children a 2 litre coke bottle), mark the volumes with permanent pen on the outside of the bottle (add 100ml of water at a time to see where the marks should go. Have a steriliser solution in a beaker(baby bottle tablet types are great, as well as a rinse beaker to clean the mouth part of the pipe each time. In one big breath students blow into the upturned bottle and their lung volume is recorded. For younger students you can give each student an identical balloon (care with latex allergies) and get them to blow in one breath, tie up and stick "same size" balloons on board like a bar graph but made from balloons. Different colours look great. Visualy you see a bar graph on the wall made from balloons with the most common lung capacity having the tallest column of balloons.....then you can work on "real" bar charts

A beautiful demo with students timing with stopwatches. I typically do this around bonfire night, but if you buy some rockets (the banging type) you can do this anytime. You really need a school playing field with no sports or the like going on. Wedge the wooden stick of the rocket (any size will do) into the ground in one corner of the field, get students with stopwatches as far away from the rocket as poss (yes for safety..but more importantly the further the better results you get) YOU light the rocket and let students 200/300m away know that by usual jumpimg up and down or arm waving...students prepare to start stopwatches as soon as they see the FLASH (on the ground because the rocket is wedged into the ground)...the sound of course eerily does not get heard until a second or so later. Do this as many times as you have rockets, all results can be pooled and averaged later on. There is scope for this demo to be done a mile or 2 apart..using mobile phones and taking students to a nearby park..the rocket is released and explodes high up above school field...students do the timing thing from as far away as is practicable...Google maps will give you an accurate distance to calculate speed of sound should you wish

Straight forward worksheet that can be used to introduce the world of microbes, especially the fact that they multipky so quickly and can cause proiblems for us, as well as benefits for us quickly

We have had so much fun with this! careful...some students (especially SEN) can get annoyed & "throw their toys out of the pram"...but I often "over" challenge my students so that they can practice handling "upset"..very important life skill. Working in pairs one student holds a book or card infront of the other student so that they can not see the worksheet, using a mirror they can look at a reflection of the star and try to draw a straight line on the star outline without touching either of the boundary lines...try it yourself first and get rid of all that frustration