1. Technology for the Future: Small Is… Challenge
The PPT can be used to introduce the Small Is…Challenge. It contains a number of starter activities and information to give students the background information they will need to achieve the Small Is… Challenge.

2. Starter activity In small groups, mind map as many
new inventions/products that you can
think of from the past five years.
You might want to think in areas such
as:
food
transport
communication technology
clothes
toys
Before your students start their challenge – ask them to complete Worksheet 1 to find out their level of understanding of sustainability issues.

3. Guess which year was I invented?
Monopoly
World web
Apple iPad
If you’d prefer to select your own products/technologies to make it more focused on your D&T or science area, the website covers a wide range of products.
3 D computer game
Pop up toaster
Zip

4. Which dates did you guess correctly?
1934
1990
2010
Dates taken from
1987
1919
1917

5. Technology timeline Select any invention from the
technology timeline in your
classroom or visit the website below.
Find an invention that interests you.
Activity
Complete worksheet 2 and 3 for your homework and present your findings back to your class.  
All six worksheets are available as downloads at

6. What is Practical Action?
In 1966, E.F. Schumacher set up
an international development
charity, now called Practical
Action.
Since then, Practical Action has
grown a lot and works in Africa,
Asia and South America, supporting
people to develop and use suitable
technologies in areas such as
renewable energy, transport
and housing.
You can find out lots more about
our projects at
In Nepal, these children are enjoying energy in their homes, produced by a small wind turbine.

7. What is the Small is Challenge?
E.F.Schumacher wrote a book which is called Small is Beautiful….. which set out his ideas about a future that protects the environment.
To celebrate Schumacher’s centenary year, we’d like to set you this creative Small Is…Challenge.
The book Small Is Beautiful is available at and for more information of other activities to celebrate E.F. Schumacher’s centenary go to
Invent a product that will help us to lead more sustainable lives over the next
100 years.

8. What are the big environmental issues to think about?
In the UK, our lifestyles have a massive impact on the environment. In fact if everyone in the world lived the way we do, we’d need 3 planets to keep us going us.
For more useful background information on the ‘big’issues for the future go to The Sustainability Handbook or a CD Sustainability Matters

9. What are we doing that we need to change?
We use too much stuff - so much in fact that we waste lots! Each year £20 billion of unused food is thrown away!
We use a lot of energy– mobile phone charging alone cost £60 million per year in energy.
We use a lot of water –the average person uses litres of water each day and this figure is rising yearly.
We design things that don’t last very long – In Europe the average computer is replaced every two years.

10. Recap: Your Small Is Challenge…
Invent a product that will help us to lead more sustainable lives over the next 100 years.
You can choose who it will designed for and at what time period in the next 100 years you think it will be used.
You may want to link it to your theme of Future: Food, Clothes, Homes, transport, Communication, or choose a theme of your own.
Use the design sheets 4 and 5 that your teacher gives you to set out your ideas. Good luck!
We suggest that each school submits it top four students per class. You could ask the students to vote for their favourite ideas. You might want to make a Design for the Future time capsule and put a copy of each students designs into a capsule and open it X amount of years.

11. Good luck with your ideas!
Please ask your students to complete their evaluation Worksheet 6, to assess any changes in their understanding or attitude around sustainability issues.