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SCIENCE IN SPACESRESOURCE PACK ONECONTENTSBUILT SPACEBUILDING A PYRAMID 4ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS 5OPEN SPACEBE A WILDLIFE EXPLORER 6COSY WINTER HOMES 7DIGITAL SPACEELECTRO DOUGH 8EXPERIMENTS WITH BLUETOOTH 10FOOD CHAIN ANIMATION 11PERSONAL SPACEINVESTIGATING COLOURFUL SPACE 12TERRIFIC TEETH 13OUTER SPACEFROM THE GROUND AND FROM THE SKY 14DO YOU HAVE ASTRONAUT SKILLS? 16RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 20162
GET READY FORBRITISH SCIENCEWEEK 2016This resource pack is aimed at supporting youduring British Science Week, but can be used atany time of year. Feel free to adapt/extend theactivities to suit your students’ needs and thecurriculum you are delivering.ACTIVITYPACKIn addition to the activities in this pack, there arelots of other ways to enthuse and engage yourstudents throughout the week:British Science Week eventsYou can either create your ownclub, class or school event orsearch for things happening nearyou on our website. Last year,there were over 5,000 eventsreaching more than 1 millionpeople. Help us make BritishScience Week 2016 even biggerand better!www.britishscienceweek.orgPoster competitionThe theme for this year’scompetition links with this year’sactivity pack theme of ‘spaces’.Any of the activities could befollowed up by designing a poster.For more info on the competitionand how to enter, go postercompetition/The British Science Week2016 digital badgesAll the activities in thispack, as well as attendingevents/ entering the postercompetition can enable youand your students to achievespecial British Science Week(BSW) 2016 digital badges.Register for free atwww.makewav.es/britishscienceweek andstudents can upload evidenceof their BSW activities to gainthe badges. It’s a great way toquickly evidence and rewardeveryone’s hard work.www.makewav.es/britishscienceweekCREST Star AwardsMany of the activities can counttowards CREST Star Awards. FurtherCREST Star resources can bedownloaded for free SOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 2016Mix it upBritish Science Week is a greattime to showcase the role thatscience and engineering play inall areas of life and to put schoolscience into context. It’s an idealopportunity to link up science, artsand humanities in a meaningfulway. We have a special ‘artscollaborator’ digital badge torecognise and celebrate crosscurricular British Science Weekactivities.The British Science Associationis an Artsmark supporter andare encouraging schools to useBritish Science Week activitiesas a way to achieve thequality principles laid out in thenew Artsmark. To find out moreabout Artsmark, go towww.artsmark.org.uk/about-artsmark3
BUILT SPACEBUILDINGA PYRAMIDWITH MP FUTURESWHAT YOU’LL NEEDBuilding materials – e.g.card, paper, wood, plasticScissors, glue, tape andblue tackWeights - to test the strengthof your pyramidA fan - to test how yourpyramid stands up to windBACKGROUNDThe Ancient Egyptians arefamous for building pyramids.They built their pyramids withoutlots of the tools, buildingequipment and technology wehave now. The pyramids wereimportant buildings with deepsignificance to the communitiesand the rulers who built them.In this activity, you’ll work in ateam of 2-4 people to build twodifferent pyramids. Once you’vebuilt your pyramids you’re goingto test them.FIND OUT MOREFor more activities on buildingand materials, check out ourCREST Star resource pages atwww.britishscienceassociation.org/crest-star. This activity wasadapted ategory/crest-mpfuturesPart 1Pyramid designPart 3Pyramid testingBefore you can build yourpyramids, you need to decide andplan what they’re going to looklike and how you’re going to makethem.Once you’ve built two differentpyramids with two different designsyou need to test them to decidewhich one is best. Before you startdoing tests, you need to decidehow you’re going to write downyour results.You’re going to design twodifferent pyramids. How will theybe different from each other? Hereare some ideas:1 Make them from differentmaterials like plastic,cardboard or wood2 Use different shapes and sizeslike making one wider or tallerHere are some ideas for how totest your pyramids:How strong is it? Use weightsMake sure you have anadult with you whenyou’re doing this test3 One solid and one hollow onthe insideHow good will it be in the wind?Use a fan4 Different sticking methods likeglue, tape and blu-tack.Does it look good?How much can you store inside it?How easy was it to build?Part 2Build your pyramidsIt’s time to put your plans intoaction and build your pyramids.Before you can make a start youneed to make sure that everyoneknows what they are going to do.Part 4Which pyramid?Do you want to work togetherto build your pyramids or do youwant to split up the work andbuild one pyramid each? How willyou make sure you stick to yourdesigns?Is one of the pyramids better thanthe other? Or would they both begood for different things? Think ofsome ideas about what your twodifferent pyramids might be usefulfor.RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 2016Have a look at your results. Whatdo you think of each of yourpyramids?4
BUILT SPACEACCIDENTINVESTIGATORSBe really careful when you’re doing these experiments – somethings can be sharp when they break! Always make sure youhave an adult with you during these tests.WHAT YOU’LL NEEDSome thin sheets of differentmaterials – card, plastic,woodA set of weights or heavyobjects which can be stackedA pair of scissorsPart 1Planning your experimentsFind your materials. You will beable to test 1, 2 or 3 differentmaterials to see how they break.Here are some ideas of materialsyou could use:CardboardThin sheets of woodBACKGROUNDThin sheets of plasticThere are lots of different waysthat things can break. Some thingsbreak through wear and tear,some things break because of asudden force like falling over, somethings are broken deliberately likebeing cut or sliced.Plan out how you’ll try to breakthese materials before you start.Sometimes we need to work outhow something was broken andwe can do that by investigatingthe broken pieces.Here are some different ways youcan try:1 Gradually increasing theweight by piling on more andmore weightsYou’re going to do someexperiments on differentmaterials to see if they break,how they break and what theylook like when they are broken.This activity is a great startingpoint for a Bronze CREST dsMake sure you have anadult with you when you’redoing these testsPart 2Experimentingwith breakagesOnce you’ve planned, you canstart experimenting with yourmaterials.How will you record your results?You could describe if the materialbroke, how it broke and what itlooked like afterwards. You couldalso draw the broken materials ortake photos.Make some observations. Forexample:did it break at all?did it snap in half?did it bend?did it make a hole?A good way to record your resultsmight be in a table.2 Suddenly increasing the weightby dropping a weight on to thematerial3 Cutting with scissorsIn your plans, you need toinclude how you’re goingto make the activity safeFIND OUT MORETo take your experimentsfurther or find other ideas,check out the CREST AccidentInvestigators project /Category/crest-project-ideasRESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 20165
OPEN SPACEBE A WILDLIFEEXPLORERWITH WILDLIFE WATCHBACKGROUNDNo two schools, homes orareas are exactly the same, soeverybody has different wildlifeon their doorstep.What wildlife can you findin the spaces near your home orschool? Why do they live there?FIND OUT MORETo make your own spottingsheet, find out more aboutthe wildlife and places thatare close to you, or to browsethrough wildlife activity sheet,visit the Wildlife Watch website –the junior branch of The WildlifeTrust.www.wildlifewatch.org.ukPart 1Investigatingyour local wildlifePart 2Finding outabout your wildlifeInvestigate the area around yourschool or home. What wildlife canyou find there? This includes trees,plants and animals.Pick one plant or animal which youhave seen in your investigation.Imagine you’re holding anexhibition and you’re going to tellyour visitors all about this plant oranimal and where it lives.Try and work out what kinds ofplants and animals you can see.You can use the Wildlife WatchSpotting Sheets to help you workout which plants and animalsthese are.The wildlife around us changeswhen the seasons are different. Trylooking for Signs of Spring, SpringFlowers or Spring Trees.If you live in a built up area youcould look for Urban Wildlife.Do you have a pond nearby?Maybe you can spot some PondWildlife.Are you near a woodland area soyou can spot some Minibeasts?RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 2016Why does it live here?You can think about:What is the weather like?Is it high up or low down?Is there lots of open space orare there lots of placesto hide?Is it warm or cold?Does it live near other plantsand animals?Is there anything dangerous orrisky about where they live?6
OPEN SPACECOSY WINTER HOMESWITH THE WOODLAND TRUSTWHAT YOU’LL NEEDDen-making materials – thinktwigs, leaves, stones andother similar materials ORcraft materials such as card,paper and stringScissors, glue and tapeInformation about differentBritish animals and how theystay warm during the winterPart 1Planning your denPart 2Building your denLook at different animal dens.Can you build somewhere ananimal can stay in winter? How willyou build a den that will last thewhole season?Once you’ve planned your den,it’s time to get building! Make sureyou know which bits you need todo first.What animal are you going tobuild a den for?Does the animal live alone or inpairs or groups?How big is the animal?BACKGROUNDIt gets very cold during winter,and some animals hibernateto stay warm. Only threeBritish mammals hibernate:hedgehogs, dormice and bats.But all animals need somewherewarm to go, even if they don’thibernate, and many of Britain’swoodland animals stay niceand cosy in their dens. In thisactivity, you’re going to makea den to help an animal staywarm in winter.FIND OUT MOREFor more information andlots more activities, checkout the Nature Detectiveswebsite: woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectivesDo they like to move arounda lot?Part 3Your completed denOnce you’ve made your den, youcan see how similar it is to all yourplans.Was it easier or harder to makethan you thought it would be? Doyou think it was a good design?What will you use to build yourden? Think about:Which materials are best forden building?Will you use natural materialsyou can find outside, or craftmaterials?Why will these be good formaking your animal den?Are the materials strong?Flexible? Good at stickingtogether? Colourful?How will you build your den?Think about:Making a planDrawing a picture of how youthink your den will looWhy did you design it like this?RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 20167
DIGITAL SPACEELECTRO DOUGHWITH TECHNOLOGY WILL SAVE USWHAT YOU’LL NEEDTo make the dough:160g flour160g salt230ml water9 tbsp lemon juicePart 1Making doughWith an adult helper, cook allingredients over a medium heatuntil it forms into a kneadabledough.The let it cool, practice kneadingand shaping it, and then you’reready to make your circuits1 tbsp vegetable oilFood colouringHobPart 2Building circuitstwo separate pieces of doughcreates a short circuit.To make a circuit, an electriccurrent must flow in an unbrokenpath. By placing LEDs or a buzzerin this path we create light andsound. Putting a switch in thecircuit will break the path, givingyou a way to turn your circuit onand off.Try creating some circuits to lightyour LEDs, use the pictures belowto help youSaucepan1. Light 1 LEDWooden spoonRed wire ( positive)Long legTo make the circuits (allavailable in the DIY ElectricDough Kit by Technology WillSave Us):4 AA battery packwith switch4 AA batteriesLEDsPiezo buzzerCrocodile clipsThe first, simple circuits you’ll builduse LEDs. An LED is a Light EmittingDiode. When electricity flowsthrough it, it glows. This is how you’lllight up your creations!LEDs have polarity and must beplaced in the circuit with the longleg on the red, positive side of thebattery pack. If your LED doesn’tlight, try flipping it round.on/offShort legBlack wire (- negative)2. Light 2 LEDsShort legRed WireLong legTilt switchBlack WireBACKGROUNDIn this activity, you will makesome Electro Dough, and thenuse it to create some circuits.Once you’ve investigatedhow to make circuits, you canshape your dough howeveryou like. Make some excitingcreations and make them lightup and buzz!3. Light loads of LEDsRed WireElectricity will always choose theshortest route back to the powersource, even if this is through thedough and not the LED. TouchingRESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 2016Black Wire8
Don’t forget to take a picture ofyour creations and share themwith us on Twitter!#futureinventors #BSW16Part 3Adding more parts4. Buzz a buzzerOnce you’ve worked out howto create a circuit, you can startadding more parts. Try addinga buzzer or a tilt switch into yourcircuit or make a button using yourdough.Part 4Getting greativeNow you’ve practiced making lotsof different circuits, you can getcreative!What Electro Dough inventionswill you make next? You can addparts to your circuit, take partsaway, and shape and reshapeyour dough however you like.5. Tilt a switchFIND OUT MORETechnology Will Save Us havelots of different exciting projectsyou can build, make and getcreative with.www.techwillsaveus.com/6. Make a buttonRESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 20169
DIGITAL SPACEEXPERIMENTSWITH BLUETOOTHWHAT YOU’LL NEEDA smartphone with acamera and bluetoothcapabilityA bluetooth buttonBACKGROUNDComputers, robots andother digital devices need tocommunicate with each other.They do this in lots of differentways for example throughwires, through Wi-Fi or throughBluetooth.Smartphones can be controlledby Bluetooth. Some selfie sticksuse a Bluetooth button so youcan take a photo remotely without touching the phone.FIND OUT MOREFor more ideas of experimentalscience projects you can do,read about CREST discovery-dayPart 1Bluetooth communicationPart 2Getting creativeDo some experiments to find outabout the connection betweenthe Bluetooth button and thephone.Now you’ve investigated whatyou can and can’t do using theBluetooth button, it’s time to seewhat photos or videos you cantake.First set up the button so that whenyou press it the phone takes aphoto, you might need some helpwith this partNow you’re ready to investigate!Try and answer these questions:How far away from the phone canyou go and still take a photo withthe Bluetooth button?Does it make a difference if you’reoutside or inside?Can the Bluetooth signal travelthrough different materials?Here are some ideas:Try and think of a photo youwouldn’t be able to take withoutusing the Bluetooth button. Forexample, can you take a photo ofthe inside of somewhere? Can youtake a photo from up really high?Can you attach the phone tosomething that’s moving and takea video?Share with us on Twitter the cooland creative photos you’ve taken#BSW16 @ScienceWeekUKThrough a brick wallThrough a glass windowThrough metal(try putting the phone in aclean biscuit tin)Through a plastic bag or boxThrough paper or cardboardRESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 201610
DIGITAL SPACEFOOD CHAINANIMATIONWITH COMPUTERXPLORERSWHAT YOU’LL NEEDA computer with internetaccessA login for Scratch Editor(free online)BACKGROUNDEverything living needs food tosurvive. Plants use light energyfrom the sun to make theirown food in their leaves. Theyare then eaten by insects andanimals. These animals thenbecome food for other animals,creating a food chain.Part 1Do some research about foodchains. Discuss and plan out afood chain starting with the sunand featuring plants, an insect,a bird that eats insects and ananimal that eats birds. Watch theBBC Bitesize Food Chain Video togive you more ideas www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zjshfg8.Part 2Part 3In this activity, you’ll createan animation programmed inScratch that shows an exampleof a food chain.Go to http://scratch.mit.edu.If you don’t already have anaccount, sign up for one – it’sfree! If you are under 13 you musthave permission from a parentor guardian and use their emailaddress to register for an account.You may already have anaccount at school, so check whatthe login details are.Program all the sprites to hidewhen the Green flag is clicked. Foreach sprite use a wait block aftereach hide command and a showblock to gradually reveal the chainin order. Think carefully about thetimings and test it out as you makeyour animation.If you need help in thisactivity, you can see anexample animation and seethe programming involvedat lick ‘Create’ to start making youranimation. In the ‘Stage’ area, addan appropriate natural backdrop– there are quite a few to choosefrom in the ‘Backdrop Library’ oryou could paint your own.Add or create sprites for:FIND OUT MOREFor more information on howComputerXplorers can help youlearn programming on our free‘Programming for Primaries Day’on 11 March 2016 seewww.computerxplorers.co.uk1 the sunPart 4If you have time, you could tryto make your animation morefun by adding and programmingsounds for each of the animals orrecording an explanation of thefood chain. Remember if you addsounds you will need to changethe timings for the animation to berevealed.2 a plant3 an insect, such as a beetleor caterpillar4 a bird, such as a crowor blackbird5 an animal, such as a cat or fox6 four arrowsArrange the sprites into the correctorder for the food chain.RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 201611
PERSONAL SPACEINVESTIGATINGCOLOURFUL SPACEWHAT YOU’LL NEEDFor part 1:Collage making materials –magazines, newspapers andprinted imagesPaper, scissors and glueFor part 2:5 different coloured sheets ofplastic or card5 ice cubesA stopwatchPart 1Mood and colourUsing paper, pens and picturescreate a collage of differentcolours and how these coloursmake you feel. To get you started,think about the following words:WarmColdHappySleepyNaturalWhich are your favourite coloursand how do they make you feel?BACKGROUNDThe place where you live is avery important space. Whatcolours are in your home? Howdoes this place make you feel?Different colours can affect yourmood in different ways.What colours do you think wouldbe best for painting your room oryour home?Part 2Which is thewarmest colour?Now you’re going to test whichcolour is the warmest using icecubes.Place five different colouredpieces of card or plastic in a sunnyplace. Put an ice cube on eachof the cards and time how long ittakes for the ice cube to melt oneach different colour.Make sure you record your results.Which ice cube melted thefastest? Does this mean it’s thewarmest colour or the coldest?Put your colours in order fromwhich was the warmest to whichwas the coldest. What can younotice about this pattern?Part 3ComparingHave a look at which colour(s)were the warmest and which werethe coldest in the two differentparts of the activity. Were they thesame? Why do you think they werethe same or different?RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 201612
PERSONAL SPACETERRIFIC TEETHWITH CREST MEGASTARWHAT YOU’LL NEEDFor the basic toothpaste recipe:3 teaspoons of baking soda(not baking powder)Part 1Making toothpasteFirst you’re going to make sometoothpaste. This is how you do it:1Mix together the bakingsoda, cornflour and salt in acontainer2Add glycerine and peppermintflavouring, mix to form a paste3Add water a few drops at atime until your mixture is thecorrect thickness1 teaspoon of cornflour½ teaspoon of salt3 teaspoons of glycerine1-2 teaspoons of peppermintessence½ teaspoon of foodcolouring (optional)Add colouring (if you like).2-3 teaspoons of waterBACKGROUNDUsing toothpaste and brushingyour teeth is really importantto stay healthy. There are fourimportant things for a goodtoothpaste:It removes plaque and stainsfrom teethIt has a pleasant smell andgives you fresh breathIt stays on the toothbrushIt has an attractive colourIn this experiment, you’llinvestigate different recipes todecide what the best recipe fortoothpaste is. You can’t try thetoothpaste on your own teeth,but you can test it in differentways.Part 2Testing toothpasteDecide how to test yourtoothpaste. Remember you can’ttest it on your own teeth, so you’vegot to be more inventive!Here are some ideas:Does it remove plaque? Drawwith a permanent markeron a plate or tile, does yourtoothpaste remove the mark?Can you think of a way tomeasure how easy it is?Does it smell nice and give youfresh breath? Can you describehow it smells? How strong is thesmell?How well does it stay on thebrush? What about if you shakeit? Can you think of a way tomeasure this?Does it have an attractivecolour? Would you use it?Could you decide on a way torate how it looks?RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 2016Part 3Investigatingtoothpaste recipesNow you need to decide whatyou’re going to investigate.Choose one of the toothpasteingredients. You’re going tochange something about thisingredient in the recipe and seehow it affects your toothpaste.You might want to use more of thisingredient than in your first recipe,or maybe use less. You might wantto swap it for a different ingredient.When you make your secondtoothpaste, you can then do thesame tests on it as you did on thefirst one.How will you record your results?Part 4Comparing recipesOnce you’ve tested bothtoothpastes, you can compareyour results and decide which oneyou think is the best toothpasterecipe.If you’ve got time, you could trychanging the recipe in a differentway.FIND OUT MOREInvestigate more abouttoothpaste and find more funCREST MegaStar activities onour website.www.britishscience association.org/crest-megastar-activities13
OUTER SPACEFROM THE GROUNDAND FROM THE SKYWITH THE UK SPACE AGENCYBACKGROUNDEarth looks very different fromspace than it does from Earth!In this activity, you’ll match pairsof a picture of the same place,one taken from the ground andone taken from space.Part 1Pictures from the groundPart 2Pictures from spaceThere are six different pictures of sixdifferent types of place:Now it’s time to match the picturesfrom space to the pictures fromthe ground.1 Mountains2 A desert3 An island4 A cityFIND OUT MOREOne person with goodviews of Earth from space isBritish Astronaut Tim Peake,who’s currently aboard theInternational Space Station.Find out more about his missionand how you can get involvedby visiting the Principia ities or theESERO www.esero.org.ukWhat clues in the pictures can youuse to help you match them up?5 A lake6 A riverWhich picture is which? Pick whichpicture shows which type of place.How do you know whichis which?RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 2016Part 3From the groundand from the skyWhat things can you see inboth pictures?What things can you only see inone of the pictures?Which type of picture do youthink is best? Why?14
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OUTER SPACEDO YOU HAVEASTRONAUT SKILLS?WHAT YOU’LL NEEDAn activity to test dexterity –e.g. shoelaces, LEGO bricks,a jigsaw puzzleA pair of normal glovesOven glovesEquipment for a physical test– e.g. trainers and sports kitBACKGROUNDTo be an astronaut you needto be fit and healthy and youneed lots of different skills. Someare mental skills and some arephysical skills.Do you think you’d make agood astronaut? Try out somedifferent tests for skills thatastronauts need.FIND OUT MOREFor some great ideas to testyour astronaut skills and find outhow to train like an astronaut,have a look at Mission X.http://trainlikeanastronaut.org/Part 1Testing your dexteritySomeone who has good dexterityis good at doing fiddly jobs withtheir hands.Astronauts need good dexterityfor working with their delicatetools and equipment, and lotsof the time they need to do thiswhile wearing big, bulky spacesuitgloves!Other things that require dexterityapart from working on a spaceshipinclude using a knife and fork,building a LEGO model or tyingyour shoelaces.Pick a simple task to do thatrequires dexterity (you could useone of the examples above) andtime how long it takes you to do it.Then try putting on a pair of glovesand then time yourself doing thesame task.After you had tried it wearinggloves, try and do the same taskagain wearing oven gloves.Part 2Testing yourphysical fitnessIt’s really important for anastronaut to be strong andfit too.Can you design a simple exercisetest for your team of astronauts?Here are some examples:How many star jumps can youdo in one minute?How many times can you runacross the school playground inone minute?How many press ups can youdo in 30 seconds (you can trythis one with your knees on thefloor if it’s too hard!)?Do you think your test would beeasier or harder if you’re wearing aspace suit?Can you think of a way you mightbe able to test this? Maybe youcould get a really big coat towear, or try and make a space suitfrom craft equipment.Which one was harder?Which one took longer?Why do you think that was?RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 201616
RESOURCE PACK ONE British Science Association British Science Week 2016 3 GET READY FOR BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK 2016 This resource pack is aimed at supporting you during British Science Week, but can be used at any time of year. Feel free to adapt/extend the activities to suit your students' needs and the curriculum you are delivering.
