PRIMAR Y British Science Week
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A R Y
PRIM URCE
RESO
P A C K
k
S c i e n ce Wee
British
1 8 M a r ch 2018 week.org
9-
i t i s h s c i ence
www.br
Supported by
This resource pack aims to be your ‘one-stop-shop’ for supporting
you during British Science Week, but can be used at any time.
Feel free to adapt or extend the activities to suit your students’
needs and the curriculum you are delivering. In addition to the
activities in this pack, there are lots of other ways to enthuse and
engage your students throughout the Week.
In developing this pack, we have British Science Week events Poster competition
looked for activities which break
You can create your own club, Some of the activities in this
down the stereotypes surrounding
class or school event or search pack could be followed up
STEM and promote cross-curricular
for things happening near you by designing a poster; simply
learning. We encourage you to
on our website. Last year, there look out for the paintbrush
use British Science Week as an
were over 5,000 events reaching symbol above. The theme for
opportunity to link STEM to other
more than 1 million people. Help this year’s competition links with
curriculum subjects and to your
us make British Science Week this year’s activity pack theme
students’ own backgrounds, lives
2018 even bigger and better! Visit of ‘exploration and discovery’.
and interests.
www.britishscienceweek.org For more information on the
competition and how to enter,
2018 is The Year of Engineering. read on further in the activity
This is a chance to celebrate pack or visit
the UK’s engineering heritage, www.britishscienceweek.org/
invest in skills and inspire young planyour-activities/poster-
people to consider a career in competition.
engineering. Get your students to
take a fresh look at engineering
using activities in this pack.
CREST Star Awards
k
Many of the activities in this pac
Sta r
can count towards a CREST
urces
Award. Further CREST Star reso
can be downloaded for free from
r
www.crestawards.org/crest-sta
to
You need to do eight challenges
not use Briti sh
get the Award, so why
the Aw ard
Science Week to launch
ad a
in your school? You can downlo
ST we bsit e to
passport from the CRE
keep track of pupil pro gre ss.
ards
Get 10% off CREST Discovery Aw
this cod e
until 30 April 2018 with
BSWActivity10
1
Contents
The theme for this year’s British Science
Week is exploration and discovery,
encouraging young people to think about
everyday discoveries and how they affect
their lives by exploring science in the world
all around us; from their home and schools,
to their local area and wider environment.
It is also a chance for young people to
consider how exploration and discovery
can have a positive impact on the future.
ASSEMBLY IDEAS 3
EXPLORING THE OUTDOORS
Poo from the past 4
Great grasshoppers 5
Augmented reality minibeasts 6
Brilliant birds 8
Bug hotel 9
EXPLORING OUR HOMES
Plastic milk 10
Confusing cans 11
Squashed tomatoes 12
EXPLORING THE WORLD
Ocean grabber 13
Polar explorer food 15
Astro-nappy 16
Ocean floor mission 17
Escape from the ice 18
Run to the Deep 19
Building bridges 21
GET INVOLVED WITH CITIZEN SCIENCE 22
POSTER COMPETITION 23
2
Assembly ideas
Why not start British Science You could reflect on the great Here are some other ideas to
week off with a bang, by discoveries made in the last include during your assembly:
holding an assembly to get century, with a special focus
Tell your students about the
your students excited about on people from your area
plan for British Science Week
the week ahead. Get the students thinking and give them a challenge
about how discoveries affect related to the theme
Tell the British Science
Association about your their day to day lives, e.g.
Launch the poster competition
assembly ideas by tweeting electricity, fuel or medicines.
(see page 22 of this pack)
or sharing images with the Don’t let this list limit you – there
have been many amazing Launch the citizen science
hashtag:
discoveries across all sectors of project
#BSW18 science and engineering (see page 21 of this pack)
Profile a prominent explorer Encourage your students to
who made a significant invite family to British Science
contribution to our Week events at school.
understanding of our planet or
even the solar system
Invite a special guest or
someone from the school
community to come talk about
a related topic. Try out www.
sciencelive.net to connect with
a range of amazing speakers.
3
Exploring the outdoors
Poo from
the past
About this Part one Part two
activity 1 Mix together the flour, salt and
oil in a big bowl
Congratulations!
You’ve now made your fake
coprolites (fossilised faeces).
For most people, the idea 2 Add warm water to the stock Get your friends and family to
of finding old human poo is cubes to make a thick gloopy excavate them and collect the
disgusting; and the idea of dark brown paste dietary evidence. Use lolly sticks
cutting it up and looking at
or cocktail sticks to make sure you
it through a microscope is 3 Add the gloopy paste into the
don’t miss anything, as some of
even worse! But this is exactly floury mixture. You’ll need to
the evidence is really small.
what some archaeologists do get your hands in and squish
to help us understand what it together! If the mixture is too
Use the evidence to work out:
people ate in the past, and dry, you can add more water,
who ‘did the poo?’
how they prepared their food. or you may wish to add some
brown ready-mixed paint to
Your challenge is to make make the mixture browner and
your own Aztec poos and stickier Next steps
then challenge your friends to If you haven’t had enough of
excavate them! 4 Mix, squish and knead until you
have a solid brown lump and poo, you could make poos from
then roll out sausage shapes different periods of history. Use
Kit list
] for your poo! Young Archaeologists’ Club ‘Poos
from the past’ information sheet
2 cups of flour 5 It’s time to add the dietary to find out what evidence might
evidence to your poo. For an have been found in poos from
1 cup of salt Aztec poo, add popping corn Egyptian, Roman, Viking and
Tablespoon of vegetable or maize, pumpkin seeds, and Tudor times.
oil (plus a bit extra for oiling the skin and seeds from plants www.yac-uk.org/things-to-do
the finished poos!) like tomatoes, chillies and
peppers – these are parts of Activity by the Young
Beef stock cubes the foods that Aztec people Archaeologists’ Club which is
Warm water ate, which might not have part of the Council for British
been fully digested. Make sure Archaeology.
Brown poster paint you roll your poo to hide the
(optional) evidence inside it!
Popping corn, pumpkin
seeds, tomato and
6 Put a bit of oil on your hands
and rub this onto your finished
pepper skin
poos. This will make them look
Large mixing bowl realistic and even yuckier!
Tablespoon
Wooden lolly sticks or
cocktail sticks
Paper plates
Poo excavation sheet
(download here)
‘Poos from the past’
information sheet
(see next steps section)
WATCH OUT!
This is not edible (Yuck!)
Pencil
4
Exploring the outdoors
Great
grasshoppers
About this Part one Part two
activity 1 Cut your egg carton
lengthways in half, so that you
Now, glue the hind legs to the
back section of the egg carton:
have three compartments in one on each side. When the glue
Have you read ‘James and
a row - this is going to be your has dried, use a craft stick/pencil
the Giant Peach’ by Roald
grasshopper’s long body. Paint to rub along the emery board to
Dahl? It’s a story about a boy
it green and set it aside to dry. make a musical noise.
who travels the world in a
giant peach and meets some 2 Next, it’s time to make your
amazing insects! One day he grasshopper’s large hind legs. Next steps
befriends some giant insects Draw a V on the green cards;
and travels far and wide, you want each outer line of Get creative! If you’re feeling
across the oceans in a giant the V to be 10 centimetres artsy, decorate your grasshopper.
peach. One of James’ friends, long and 1.5 centimetres wide. Have a think about the different
the Old-Green-Grasshopper, When you are happy with habitats where grasshoppers are
has wonderful musical skills. your shape, cut it out using found and how they might be
In this activity you’re going scissors. You can then use this able to camouflage themselves in
to make your own musical first hind leg as a template for grassy fields and sandy dunes.
grasshopper! Grasshoppers the second one by drawing
can make melodies by around it on the card. Then cut Why not take a picture
rubbing their back legs the second one. Make sure of your grasshopper and
against their wings, causing you are careful when using enter it into the poster
them to vibrate; a bit like the scissors, and ask a grown-up to competition?
way a bow plays a violin. help you.
3 Using scissors, carefully cut
the emery board in half and
Kit list
] then take one of your legs
Illustrations © Quentin Blake 2018, © RDNL 2018
and turn the V’s upside down.
1 six-egg carton Glue one piece of the emery
board to the right-hand part of
Scissors
one of the V. Do the same for
Green poster paint the second leg, but glue the
emery board to the left-hand
Pencil
part of the V.
Green card
Emery board
2 small green pom-poms
(optional)
WATCH OUT!
PVA glue
Be careful when using scissors
2 googly eyes (optional) and make sure to put down
Green pipe cleaner newspaper when painting!
Craft stick (or you could
use a pencil, twig or
chopstick)
5
Exploring the outdoors
Augmented
reality minibeasts
About this Part one Part three
activity 1 Create your AR minibeasts
profile card.
Go Outside! Minibeasts can be
found everywhere, if you know
where to look…
Using the power of augmented To make your card, choose one
reality (AR), this activity allows of the minibeasts shown on the
Draw a table or chart on paper
you to explore your environment following page (worksheet 1).
listing different locations or
to look for and learn about all Carefully cut out your minibeast
microhabitats such as in the air,
sorts of different minibeasts. image along the lines. Stick
onto one side of the card. under a stone, in the grass, under
a log or in a tree.
This activity is powered by® the
free AR app AugmentifyIt . 2 Take care not to crease the
image. Explore outside. Use a spoon to
scoop up a minibeast and gently
The app can be downloaded 3 On the reverse of the card, drop it into a cup.
for free on the App Store, create a profile for your
Google Play and Amazon App minibeast, including its name, Use a magnifying glass to get a
Store. The AR requires WiFi to type (insect or arachnid), close-up look. Once you have
work, however this activity where it lives, number of body finished, return your minibeast
can be used without AR too. sections and number of legs. carefully to its home.
4 Have a think - what is a How many minibeasts can
Kit list
] minibeast? And what is a
microhabitat?
you find?
Where did you find the most/
White card (6cm x 10cm)
the least?
Glue stick or double-sided
Part two What kind of minibeasts
sticky tape
Download the latest version did you find in the different
Pen or pencil locations?
of the FREE AugmentifyIt® app
Ruler on your tablet/device. Open Record your findings in your chart.
the AugmentifyIt® app and
Tablet or phone devices for AR
point the device at the AR
Paper minibeasts sticker, filling the Next steps
Spoon device screen with the image.
To extend the AR minibeast
Paper cup See your minibeast card learning experience, extra AR
come to life! resources can be found on
Magnifying glass www.augmentifyit.com
Pair up with a friend with a
different minibeast. Can you
describe your minibeast to one
another? How many legs does it
WATCH OUT! have? How does it move? How
are the two mini beasts different?
Take care when collecting
minibeasts so you don’t hurt
them, and ensure you return
them back to their homes.
Also watch out, as some
insects can bite or sting!
Adults should supervise
activities outdoors.
Wash hands after working outside.
6Exploring the outdoors Augmented reality minibeasts Worksheet 1 7
Exploring the outdoors
Brilliant birds
About this Part one Part two
activity Before you start building your nest,
have a think about the following
Now you’ve got a plan in place,
head outdoors and explore what
important questions: natural materials you can find.
Local birdwatcher Mrs
Perhaps collect some leaves,
Twitcher is an expert on
1 What materials can you find to feathers, twigs and some mud!
birds’ nests. “I think birds
build your nest?
are brilliant, but I don’t think
Build your nest, ensuring it can
people can build nests like 2 Which ones do you think will comfortably fit a small bird and
birds do.” Do you think Mrs be best? their eggs. Make sure it’s strong
Twitcher is right?
and sturdy.
3 Do you need different materials
In this activity, have a go at inside and outside the nest?
making a birds’ nest using
materials that you can find 4 How will you keep everything Next steps
naturally outside. together?
Why not take it further and test
5 You could start with a small your nest?
A bird nest is the spot in which bowl made from modelling
a bird lays its eggs and raises clay.
What would happen to your
its babies. These can be nest on a windy day? What
usually found in trees, bushes 6 What other ways can you think would happen to your nest in
or a burrow dug into the of to build a nest? rainy weather?
ground. What worked well and what
could have been improved?
This activity can be put towards
Kit list
]
a CREST Star Award and there
are plenty more online activities
Materials for nest building you can try for free. For more
such as twigs, leaves, mud information, follow this link
and grass www.crestawards.org/
Modelling clay (optional) about-crest-awards/
WATCH OUT!
If you see nests outside, do not
disturb the birds or remove the
nests or eggs.
When working outside
make sure an adult knows
where you are at all times.
Remember to wash your
hands after working outdoors.
Adults should supervise
activities outside.
Wash your hands after
working outside.
8Exploring the outdoors
Bug hotel
About this Part one Part two
activity 1 Find a good spot where you’d
like to put your flower pot
Peep inside every day to check
on your creepy-crawly visitors.
(perhaps near some trees or
In some gardens it’s hard
bushes) and put a few stones
for wildlife to discover safe
next to the flower pot to stop it
hideaways where they can Next steps
rolling over or blowing away.
live. So, why not help them Why not keep a record of all the
out by building your own bug 2 Fill it with twigs, bark and dried animals you see in your hotel
hotel? leaves that will make it cosy for each day? Then you can see who
your guests. likes your hotel the most.
It could help shelter all sorts
of creatures, from ants to 3 Add a few sugar cubes to
If you want to look at them more
woodlice, ladybirds or even tempt them in, and maybe add
closely, use a magnifying glass.
toads! a personalised welcome sign at
the front! Find more activities here
www.okido.co.uk/schools
Kit list
]
A flower pot
Stones, twigs, bark, dried
leaves
Waterproof marker
Sugar cubes
** * * *
*
WATCH OUT!
Careful as some bugs
may bite or sting.
Adults should supervise
activities outside.
Wash hands after
working outside.
9Exploring our homes
Plastic milk
About this Part one Part three
activity 1 Get an adult to heat the milk
in a pan or in the microwave. It
You can use the cookie cutter
to cut out shapes, or just mould
should be hot but not boiling. them into any shape like they did
Have you ever wanted to
when making casein plastics. The
make cheese? Now’s your 2 Pour the milk into a bowl and mixture should harden in a couple
chance! It all starts with the add the vinegar and food dye. of days.
‘coagulation’ of milk. In milk
there is a protein called 3 Stir for about a minute, then
casein. Casein is really small pour the milk and vinegar
and there are lots of separate solution through the strainer Next steps
pieces (or molecules) of into the sink. If you have some
Go to www.bbc.co.uk/
casein in the milk. The acidic muslin cloth, use it to line your
terrificscientific for a video guide
vinegar changes the casein strainer, as it’s easier to get
and other investigations to try at
and causes it to all start your plastic cheese out.
home.
sticking together, which
causes the large blobs to Research how cheese is made in
appear. Part two factories and how bacteria can
There should be a mass of lumpy be used to make all the different
This was also the basis for varieties and flavours we find in
making plastic out of milk in blobs left in the strainer.
the supermarkets... cheddar, brie,
the early 20th century; it was stinky cheese etc.
shaped and left to harden in a Rinse them with water and
similar way. squeeze them together.
The earliest evidence of If you find your milk doesn’t turn
cheese making dates back into a solid, the vinegar may be
7,500 years in what is now old and has lost its acidity, so
Poland. you’ll need to use fresh vinegar
instead.
Kit list
]
WATCH OUT!
570ml of full fat milk
The milk only needs to be
4 teaspoons of white warm. It can be heated in a
vinegar bowl placed over a pan of
hot water or in a
Strainer/sieve or a muslin
microwave.
cloth
Food dye (e.g. yellow) We advise you not to
eat the cheese you
Cookie cutter
have made.
Spoon
Make sure to wash
Pan or a bowl
your hands!
10Exploring our homes
Confusing cans
About this Things to consider Part two
4
activity
What’s inside the can will affect how Explore the unlabelled cans
far it will roll. Normally, the more solid first. Then roll the labelled cans
the food, the further the can rolls. to make a comparison. From
You’ve come home from what you have seen, can you
school excited to eat your Try shaking the cans to ‘listen’ to predict which of the cans
favourite meal of beans on what’s inside. The ones that you contain the beans?
toast, only to discover your can ‘hear’ tend not to roll as far as
younger sibling has taken the ones you cannot hear. 5 Talk about the distance each
all the labels off the cans in can rolled and what is inside it.
the house and is rolling them Roll other labelled cans of food to Can you see a pattern?
along the floor. How are you see if they fit the pattern.
going to find your beans
6 Try rolling other things to see if
they fit the pattern.
now?! You can fill bottles with water,
freeze them (without the top), then 7 Have an adult help you open
You notice that some cans see if there’s difference in how they the cans and see if you were
have rolled further than others. roll as the water thaws (don’t forget correct.
Perhaps how they roll might to put the top back on). You can
help you figure out which one fill containers (large coffee tins or
contains beans… jars with lids are ideal) with different Next steps
things, e.g. different amounts of
In this activity you will be using
This activity can be put towards
sand, syrup or cotton wool and see
a CREST Star Award and there
a fair test experiment to find what happens.
are plenty more online activities
out the contents of unlabelled
you could try for free. For more
cans.
information, follow this link
Part one
www.crestawards.org/about-
1 Talk to a friend about your ideas crest-awards
Kit list
] of how to figure out what is
inside of the cans.
A can of tinned tomatoes 2 Discuss how you might make
A can of soup the cans roll. Can you make it
a fair test, e.g. using the same
A can of baked beans slope or letting go of the cans
Cat food for each group rather than pushing them from
(with labels removed and the top?
?
marked with different
numbers or colours)
3 Build the slope you discussed.
A set of cans with labels for
?
comparison
Boards/trays to make the
slopes, plus blocks/books
WATCH OUT!
?
to support it
Metre rulers, tape measures Be careful not to leave cans
and other distance markers lying on the floor for people to
trip over.
Can opener
Get an adult to help you use
a can opener. Push the can
lid well inside open cans and
recycle them safely after use
as they have sharp edges!
11Exploring our homes
Squashed
tomatoes
About this Your task
operation and aim for the greatest
activity Build a basket to hold your
tomatoes and design a device to
weight moved in two minutes.
In both cases, the group that
move the basket safely without transports the heaviest weight of
Many farmers in Nepal
squashing the tomatoes. tomatoes wins.
grow their crops (including
tomatoes) on the
The rules Next steps
mountainside. To sell them at
the local market they need to The tomatoes need to be This activity can be used to
transport them to the bottom transported a minimum of one achieve a CREST Discovery
of the mountain, but it’s a long metre along the ground starting Award. For more information
and hazardous journey which from desk height. follow this link www.crestawards.
involves a river crossing. org/about-crest-awards
Tomatoes are quite easily The tomatoes cannot be touched
squashed, so they need to be whilst they are moving, catapulted
TA
wards Disc
transported with care. or ‘flown’ in any way. They must
ov
S
CRE
ery
be moved in a controlled way,
In this activity you should so they don’t just crash into the
ery
CRE
work with a small group to ground and get squashed. You
ov
S
TA
design and build a model
wards Disc
can also adapt the challenge
that can transport as many by either aiming for the greatest
cherry tomatoes as possible, weight of tomatoes transported
at the same time, and without in one trip, or go for speed of
squashing them.
Kit list
]
Building materials such as
K-Nex, Meccano, Lego,
paper straws, pulleys,
split pins, paper-clips,
Sellotape, newspaper,
nets, dowelling, card,
paper cups, boxes, dried
spaghetti, string, thread,
cardboard tubes
Rules
Ramps with various
surfaces
WATCH OUT!
Cherry tomatoes Make sure your model is
safely set up in an area clear
of obstacles, and not close to
where anyone may trip over it.
Make sure you lay down some
newspaper for the squashed
tomatoes.
Do not eat the tomatoes.
12Exploring the world
Ocean
grabber
About this Part one
1 3 Wrap string around the top two
activity
Cut out the template on the
following page (worksheet 2) split pins and tie them off. Pass
and copy onto corflute or it through the bulldog clips,
Only 5% of the deep ocean strong card. finally winding loosely around
has been explored, meaning the bottom split pin.
we know less about the ocean 2 Ask an adult to use a craft
floor and the creatures that live knife or a strong pair of scissors 4 When the string is pulled the
there than we do about the to cut out the ‘T’ shape and jaws should open. When the
surface of Mars, Venus and the two triangles. string is released the jaws
Moon. The only way to explore should close.
these depths is by using remotely 3 Copy the position of split pins
5 You can now test your grabber
operated vehicles (ROV) that are onto the corflute.
by placing the assorted items
specially designed to withstand 4 Using a ball of plasticine in the sand tray, and seeing if
the huge pressures. These are behind the corflute, pierce you can grab them.
controlled from ships by a ROV holes in the corflute to position
pilot, whose job it is to direct the the split pins (a nail works well
ROV into position and perform to make a large enough hole.) Part three
required tasks such as gathering
water samples, collecting Have a think about how well your
rock and animal samples or grabber worked. What can you
Part two
observing life in the dark. do to improve it?
1 Assemble the main body of
The challenge: create your arm together with split pins.
own ROV grabber to explore Next steps
the deep. 2 Wind the elastic band around
You can find another British
the top two split pins. It should
Antarctic Survey activity here
hold the grip closed but not so
www.stem.org.uk/resources/
tight that the teeth overlap.
Kit list
] elibrary/resource/411615/
planning-antarctic-expedition
Water/sand tray
S E M B LY
Sand AS PLE
Selection of objects of
different shapes, sizes and
EXAM Control string
Elastic band
textures, e.g. marbles, eggs,
prepared jelly in bowl,
rice, slices of bread, fruit,
vegetables, balloon (filled
with air), balloon (filled with
water), empty balloon
Shape cut
Very strong card or corflute from card
Moving pivot
Strong scissors or craft knife
Cutting boards
Rulers
Split pins
String WATCH OUT!
Elastic bands Have an adult help you
Plasticine/Blu-tack if you need to use a craft
knife or strong scissors.
Small bulldog clips
13Exploring the outdoors Ocean grabber Worksheet 2 14
Exploring the world
Polar
explorer food
About this Part one Think about what foods would
be good to take with you. What
activity 1
2
Look at the selection of foods.
Weigh the different foods
will the groups do to ensure they
have water to drink? It is essential
In this activity, you will be to discover which would be for survival, but do they need to
planning what food to take lighter and most suitable to take lots of bottles with them?
on an overnight field research take.
trip in the Antarctic. In the Fruit and vegetables are good for
extreme cold, people get very 3 Record your results for later our health, but do you think they
hungry and hard work uses reference. are a good food to pack for the
lots more energy than usual. field research trip? Why?
Challenge: You are travelling Part two
by skidoo, so you need to
Plan the food you will take on the Next steps
ensure that each member
of the team will get 3,350 overnight field research trip using Present your findings in a creative
calories over the 24 hours. the food list you downloaded. way - perhaps a presentation
Remember, you need three meals or poster (which you
You have a budget of £60. a day, which must have the right could enter in the poster
number of calories and be within competition!)
the budget.
For more activities about polar
Kit list
] Your groups will need to carry their
food on sledges or in a backpack,
explorers, head to
www.stem.org.uk/polar-explorer-
Food list with calorie so it should be light and take up educational-resources
information as little room as possible.
www.stem.org.uk/rxekyz
A selection of foods from
the list to weigh
Weighing scales
Pen
Paper
WATCH OUT!
Be aware of any food allergies
when handling foods.
Do not eat the food.
15Exploring the world
Astro-nappy
About this Part one Part three
activity 1 Place the first material on
a piece of tissue paper or
What other materials would your
astro-nappy need? Does it need
kitchen towel. Fill the pipette to be water-proof on the outside?
When astronauts are doing a
with 5ml of water, and slowly Does it need to keep you warm
spacewalk, for example, to
add water, one drop at a time from the cold of space?
fix or add something to the
to the material.
outside of the International
Space Station (ISS), they can’t 2 Record the number of drops
just nip to the toilet when it takes before the tissue Next steps
they need to. Usually they becomes wet. Find other great resources at
are outside the ISS for seven www.ogdentrust.com/schools-
hours, so they need to wear partnerships/resources1
a specially designed ‘astro- Part two
nappy’. In this activity, you will
find out which materials are 3 Draw up your results in a table
best at absorbing liquids. to measure how many drops
of water each material can
withstand.
Kit list
] What are your conclusions?
Which material would best be
Pipette suited for an astro-nappy?
Various absorbent/
non-absorbent materials,
e.g. cotton wool, felt,
cotton, tissue, PVC
Measuring cylinders (50ml)
WATCH OUT!
Take care with water spillages,
ensure they get mopped
up quickly!
16Exploring the world
Ocean floor
mission
About this Part one Part three
activity 1 Using the internet, do
some research about the
5 Now open the project scratch.
mit.edu/projects/166843083/
Autosub6000. This will give you and click the button ‘See
Autosub6000 is a type of
some background information inside’.
autonomous underwater
and an understanding of what
vehicle (AUV). It is used to You are going to debug the
it is used for.
explore the world’s oceans program as it has missing blocks
without a pilot or any tether, 2 Go to this link scratch.mit.edu/ – you may want to run the
including the polar regions, as projects/161272628 programme and look for any
it can work under ice. Before unexpected behaviour.
the submersible is launched, 3 Have a go at the activity. Now
it is programmed with click the ‘See inside’ button to Think about the Autosub6000
instructions about where to look at the programme and sprite from part two and create
go, how deep to go and what get an understanding of how the same algorithms you wrote
to measure. it works. down, adding in the missing
blocks and testing your work as
Your challenge is to use you go.
Scratch to debug (fix) and Part two
improve the programme The sample sprites also need
to move the Autosub6000 4 By yourself or with a partner,
debugging. The crab sprite has
around the ocean floor, write a list of instructions
the correct algorithm to refer to; it
while photographing the you think are needed to
is important you can explain what
samples found. programme the Autosub6000
each block in the working model
sprite. You can act the
does. The others have missing
instructions out to check if you
blocks. Work through the sprites,
have them right.
each one is missing more
Kit list
] blocks.
Computer with internet access Next steps
Have someone test your
fixed programme
Now have a think about
what else you can do to
improve this programme
Can you make the sprite go
faster or slower?
Can you make
WATCH OUT!
the animal
sprites move
automatically
You will need a basic like real sea
understanding of the creatures?
Scratch coding programme
before doing this activity.
17Exploring the world
Escape from
the ice
About this Part one Next steps
activity 1 Fill the yoghurt pot or similar a
third of the way up with water
If you left the ice to melt,
draw a sequence of pictures
and add a figurine so they are showing how much the ice has
A plastic adventurer got
submerged in the water. Put melted after 5 mins, 10 minutes
themselves stuck in ice, and
this in the freezer and so on
it is up to you to explore how
best to get them out! What 2 When it is frozen, top up the You could create a story or
methods do you think will water until the container is full poster, recounting how the
work best? and freeze again so that the figurine ended up in the ice
figurine will be inside the ice, and then act out the
Ice is formed when water is not floating on the top. story using sounds and
cooled down to 0 degrees movements.
Celsius. The molecules (little
water particles) get all their
Part two
energy sucked out of them
as they cool down, until they 1 Release the ice from its
stop moving altogether. This container. You might need to
is when ice is made - we call run the yoghurt pot under a
this process freezing. little water to free the ice
When you want to turn ice into 2 Now, it’s up to you to decide
water the reverse happens; what is the best way to get the
we call this process melting. figurine out of the ice. Putting
it in a bowl of warm water
perhaps? Or maybe putting it
on the windowsill. How about
Kit list
] tapping it with a hammer?
Yoghurt pot or small
freezable container
A figurine, e.g. Lego person
Water
A freezer
Foil
Small hammer or bowl
of tepid water
WATCH OUT!
Be careful when using a
.
hammer to get the person out
The ice can slip around a lot!
Be aware of slippery puddles
made from the melting ice.
Have a towel handy to mop
up any mess.
Do not freeze containers made
from glass or with lids or caps.
18Exploring the world
Run to the Deep
About this Step one or brief presentation to perform
alongside their display. Position
activity Find a large space outdoors to
mark out a 1000m course. This
the banners around the course at
each waymark.
will give a rough scale of 1:10
Run, walk, push, or even skip
compared to the actual depth
to the bottom of the ocean Tip: The deeper you go, the less
of the ocean which can be over
and get active whilst exploring we know about ocean life, so the
10,000 metres deep. You might
sea-life. Run to the Deep is abyssal and hadal zones may be
need to have multiple laps. You
a new running app that will more challenging to research.
can scale it down further to suit
be available during British
different ages and abilities. Use
Science Week, following
the depth guide on the following
the successful launch of Run Step three
page (worksheet 3) to plan the
the Solar System last year. Invite other students, teachers and
course. Ask your students to help
Mark a course around your families to sign up to take part. They
calculate where they will need
school and give students could run, walk, push themselves or
to place the waymarks along the
the chance to become even skip around the course. Ask
route to mark the start of each of
experts by creating banners them to stop at each banner to
the five zones.
and short demonstrations to find out about the ocean zone and
communicate the science watch the demo or presentation.
Tip: Students should divide the
behind each ocean zone.
depths on the worksheet by 10.
Invite families to take part and
make it a whole school event. Step two Next steps
Divide the class up into groups If you have a school running club
and ask each group to research or you are organising this as a
Kit list
] one of the ocean zones. Give
each group materials to create
family event you could invite
adults and older students to sign
Long tape measure or a banner or display which will up to the full 10km during British
measuring wheel. communicate what they have Science Week. They can download
found out. You could ask them the mobile app by going to
7 pieces of cloth or other to come up with a simple demo www.runtothedeep.com to listen to
banner material for commentary about each zone as
waymarks they run and participate in a
Materials to decorate virtual race.
banner: pens, poster paints,
PVA glue, scrap fabrics,
string
WATCH OUT!
Download the app Midnight zone
Optional: During British Make sure that the course is
Science Week you can safe and remove any trip or
download the mobile slip hazards. Sunlight zone
app from
Ensure the course is
www.runtothedeep.com
accessible to everyone. Abyssal zone
Consider the weather.
Risk assess and supervise
if necessary the student
interactions at each
waymark.
Manage the flow of people
moving around the course.
19Get involved
Run to Exploring the world
the Deep
Ocean zones
Worksheet 3
0m The ocean surface
0 - 200m
The epipelagic
or sunlight zone
200 – 1000m
The mesopelagic
or twilight zone
1000 – 4000m
The bathypelagic
or midnight zone
4000 – 6000m
The abssopalagic
or abyssal zone
6000 – 11000m
The hadal or
trenches zone
11000m The ocean floor
20Exploring the world
Building bridges
About this The rules Erect the towers…
activity 1 Each of the LEGO bricks used
must be no longer than 4cm
With the clock ticking, you’re
going to need to move fast. The
These are the guidelines for (1.57in) first bits you should construct are
an official Guinness World the towers at either end. These
Records® challenge. If you’re
2 The bricks must be laid flat on must be big and strong, but you
r a surface prior to the attempt, can’t take too long to make
successful, you could get you
ks! and may not be pre-joined in them.
name in the record boo
any way. Once laid out, the
The record: Longest span of a bricks may not be touched Build the span…
LEGOTM bridge made in three until the attempt begins
Next, you’ll need to make the
minutes
3 The bridge must have two bridge span. Here, you’ve got
The challenge: Build a LEGO towers on either side and a to balance stiffness with weight.
bridge in three minutes (with deck connecting the two More bricks mean more strength,
no help from anyone else) but are they fixed firmly enough to
that is at least 10cm (3.93in) 4 There must be at least 10cm support their own weight?
off the ground and that will (3.93in) clearance between
stand for at least 10 seconds. the underside of the And hope it stands!
deck and the ground
To make an official Finally, join it all together and
application, visit 5 You have three minutes to stand back. If it’s still standing
www.guinnessworldrecords. complete the bridge and it after 10 seconds, then you’ve got
com/apply must stand unsupported for yourself a valid record attempt.
10 seconds after the time is up Be sure to film everything clearly,
including the stopwatch used to
Kit list time the attempt.
LEGO bricks – no longer Next steps
than 4cm or 1.57in For more fun science activities visit
Base plates (optional) www.guinnessworldrecords.com/
Stopwatch or timer science
Ruler or measuring tape
For full guidelines and to apply for
Camera (optional) this record visit
www.guinnessworldrecords.com/
records/apply-to-set-or-break-a-
record/
Watch out!
Make sure to have a clear
space to build, without
people around.
Careful not to tread on the
blocks, as they hurt!
OUT
NOW
21Get involved
Citizen science
About this Part one Part four
activity Get online!
Head to www.zooniverse.org/projects/
Once you’ve drawn a box that
fits the litter tightly inside, tell us
theplastictide/the-plastic-tide what kind you think it is in the
There is a rising tide in our
pop-up. The types can include
oceans, a tide of waste
ropes, strings, soft bags/wrappers
plastics. It is a sad fact that
Part two or drink bottles. When selected,
60% of our oceans are being
click “OK”.
heavily contaminated with Can you see any plastics or litter?
plastics, which has a negative It can be difficult to spot litter Keep on repeating this process, to
effect on the wildlife living and plastics. However, generally help us create a cleaner world!
within the seas. you’re looking for pieces bigger
than 1-2 cm which are visible at
Next steps
Eight million tonnes of plastics normal zoom.
enter our ocean each year, Sign up to our social media and
but scientific researchers can You should be able to spot check out our website or sign up
only account for where 1% of plastics and litter by carefully to our newsletter for updates:
that ends up… which is found looking at each image, and
on our ocean’s surface. So zooming in on objects you’re not @VisionFromTheSkies
where is the missing 99%? sure about. Watch out for the
clear, black and white plastics, @ThePlasticTide
‘The Plastic Tide’ is a citizen as they can blend in to their
science project that uses surroundings. Remember if you ThePlasticTide
drone technology to are uncertain about an object,
survey and take photos of you can use the ‘uncertain’ tag. To get involved with other
contaminated beaches, citizen science projects, head to
where plastics can be found. zooniverse.org
The project needs your help Part three
to examine hundreds of Found something? Awesome!
thousands of images to locate Draw the rectangle around the
these pieces of waste in order offending piece of plastic so it fits
to train computers to find the inside and move onto Part four.
litter by itself in the future. Get
involved and be a part of the Not found anything? No problem,
clean-up effort! Help realise a just press ‘done’… and please
‘Vision from the Skies’. keep on searching the images,
you will find some!
Kit list
]
A computer/laptop or
mobile/tablet
Internet access
A keen eye
22Poster competition
About this Part one Part three
activity Research your poster
Investigate and imagine all
Send us your poster
Posters will be judged on how
the amazing exploration and creative and well-researched the
Get creative and enter the
discovery that takes place around ideas are and how well the poster
British Science Association’s
the world. Here are some topic has been made or drawn. Once
annual poster competition.
ideas to get you started: your poster is complete, write all
You can make your poster
your information on the back,
about whatever type of What sort of discoveries have
have your teacher, leader or
exploration or discovery you you made?
parent/guardian fill in the online
like, and enter our UK-wide
Research famous explorers registration form, and then post
competition with the chance
e.g. Captain James Cook, your entry to us.
to win an array of prizes.
Gertrude Bell, David Livingston
Many activities found in this Think about what discoveries
Next steps
pack could be entered into might be made in the future
the poster competition, simply Celebrate!
. Other than places, what else
look for the paintbrush symbol For more details, along with
the m to serv e do people explore?
Or you can use the full set of rules and tips for
as a source of inspiration to educators, check out our website
get you started. Part two
www.britishscienceweek.org/
plan-your-activities/poster-
Make your poster competition/
Once you’ve done your research,
Kit list
] it’s time to get creative!
Your poster must be:
Paper (A4 or A3)
2D (flat) – if you make a model,
Creative materials, e.g. you need to just send us a
pens, pencils, scissors, photo of it
glue, watercolours, paint,
colouring crayons, glitter, On A4 or A3 paper
pipe cleaners, felt, thread, You can use pop up pictures, pull
wool, foil, clay, straws, out tabs or use materials
string, beads, stamps, such as paint, drawing
googly eyes, foam, pencils, crayons and paper.
sequins, pom poms
23You can also read
