In 2021 Astin Consulting was awarded a grant from the Ogden Trust to develop and deliver science workshops to primary schools. These were in celebration of British Science Week 2021, whose theme was Innovating for the Future. The workshops were delayed due to school lockdowns during the Covid pandemic, and some were delivered virtually but they made an impact with the 500 pupils who benefited.
The resources are all now freely available for you to download and use – whether you are:
- a primary school teacher looking for ideas for enrichment and hands-on practical experiments
- a secondary school teacher looking for activities for transition days or partnership events
- or an independent presenter, such as a STEM Ambassador
The workshops are suitable for a class or larger group e.g. in a hall, and can be adapted to last from 30 mins to a whole afternoon. Each workshop comes with slides with notes and separate explanatory Teacher/Presenter notes.
Planet-tastic Plastics aims to introduce children to material properties and what is good/bad about plastics, looking at some alternatives to plastics, learning new terms and including messages about STEM careers. It enriches the Year 5 materials topic and reinforces the importance of sustainability and our responsibility to recycle or compost. There are optional experimental and follow-up activities.
Wind Power – Are you a fan? aims to introduce children to wind power, stimulating their thinking about the role of wind power in sustainable energy generation, learning new terms and including messages about STEM careers. It enriches the Year 5 forces topic and reinforces the idea of iterative development in the technology curriculum. Again, there are optional experimental and follow-up activities.
