Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Fun, practical, accessible and cost effective STEM projects for students aged 7-14 With Caroline Alliston from Technology for Fun

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Help inspire the engineers, scientists and technologists of the future Try out the models and see how they work Make and test your own working models Relate them to STEM learning objectives Take away your models and carry out the activities in class

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( I’m a mechanical design engineer I went to Cambridge University I spent 24 years in industry Introduction

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( After that.. I took a career break to spend more time with my children I started a STEM club at my sons’ school to enthuse the children about science and engineering I developed a range of cheap fun projects so they could make something they were proud of to take home and show their families

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Before long.. There were more children on the waiting list than in the actual club, so I wrote these books containing 74 of our favourite projects to enable more children to have a go.

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( And then.. More people invited me to run STEM clubs

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Schools invited me to run workshops in curriculum time..

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Lots of people used my books to run their own clubs and workshops

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( I was invited to run workshops for teachers.. Association of Science Educators Conference 2016 Really enjoyed it. After a morning of sitting and listening it was great to do something practical and it made me understand why the children enjoy this approach and how much learning they get from it. National STEM Centre Primary Science Conference 2015 Lots of good ideas for science club and projects to use in class. Wow! Inspirational. Really easy to use practical ideas STEMtech Conference 2014 Lots of people are saying that we should teach more STEM, but they are not telling us how. We need cheap, straightforward accessible projects like these for the children to do.

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( I developed some teacher resources.. Great resources thank you. Exactly what I was looking for - saved loads of time! Very detailed, providing me with sound background knowledge and it hits both science and technology objectives.

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( I won a prize.. I received the 2015 Alastair Graham Bryce Award for inspiring and encouraging children towards a career in engineering.

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Balloon hovercraft – learning objectives Explore the effects of friction on movement Compare how things move on different surfaces Unusual and creative uses for everyday materials How a hovercraft works

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Spectroscopes – learning objectives Look at a range of phenomena including rainbows Dispersal of white light gives a spectrum How a diffraction grating works

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Seesaws – learning objectives Recognise that some mechanisms allow a smaller force to have a greater effect Understand and use mechanical systems e.g. levers Understand and use simple scales Measure and compare lengths Draw lines with a ruler to the nearest millimetre Consolidate understanding of ratio when comparing quantities

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Make and test balloon buggies – learning objectives Explore the effects of friction on movement Compare how things move on different surfaces When objects are pushed or pulled, an opposing push or pull can be felt. Energy storage and transfer

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Make and test a wire loop game – learning objectives Construct a simple series electrical circuit Identify whether or not a lamp will light based on whether or not the lamp is part of a complete loop Recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit Recognise some common conductors and insulators

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Magnetic compasses – learning objectives Notice that magnetic forces can act at a distance Compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of whether they are attracted to a magnet Describe magnets as having two poles Draw 2D shapes, recognise angles, identify right angles Identify pairs of perpendicular and parallel lines

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Periscopes – learning objectives Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines Use this to explain that objects can be seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye Draw given angles and measure them in degrees using a protractor

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( More projects: ‘Technology for Fun 1’

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( More projects: ‘Technology for Fun 2’

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( More projects: ‘Physics for Fun’

Copyright © Caroline Alliston 2016 ( Any questions? Have a go with the models Try making one of the projects Have a look at the books and resources