BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK 2018 Activity packs review 3

Secondary Pack
The range of activities suggested in this pack covers science, geography, archaeology and design technology.
Some of the activities could be theoretical if practical is not suitable - some of the designs and data research.
Most activities are quite short but could well be incorporated into a longer project.
Growing seeds over a hidden wall to create a crop marker and looking in detail at a local water source all have the opportunity to link to the locality.
Designing polar food with a calorific value but a low weight to carry with you on an arctic adventure
Designing a pengrip for ergonomic use to aid strain when writing those loooong essays!

One of my favourites is the ever popular Squashed Tomatoes from the charity Practical Action.

 The challenge comes from real life in Nepal where mountain tomato growers need to get their produce down the mountain to market undamaged. There is supporting resource in posters, video and powerpoint plus teachers notes and worksheets but the real event is to build a contraption to carry the tomatoes down a slope undamaged without throwing them or making  them "fly"!
If you don't want to use real food you could use soft red playdough which shows any damage easily.

The second activity I like is Colours to Dye For examining natural and man made dyes supported by the Textile Skills Academy

The activity itself is quite simple - comparing depth of colour in different weight fabrics but I would extend it to explore natural dyes - onion skins work well so do nettles and other greens plus you could try any red vegetable or fruit. There is opportunity to research online for other natural dyes.
Different fabrics take up dyes differently so you could try a range of fabrics and compare  using man made dyes.
With older pupils you could explore salts and mordants - quite a bit of nice chemistry.


Whatever you choose have an amazing British Science Week and we will see you all on the other side!!