Awards, challenges and competititons

Floating Garden Challenge

Challenge your students to find a solution to a real problem caused by climate change in Bangladesh.

Practical Action’s Floating Garden Challenge enables students to design and make a model structure that will enable farmers to grow crops even in an area that may become flooded. The challenge is perfect for:

• STEM clubs
• CREST Awards
• Curriculum Enrichment Day

All the support material needed to run the challenge including a Power Point, activity sheets and certificates are freely available at www.practicalaction.org/floatinggardenchallenge-3

Competitions and award schemes can be a very effective means of highlighting D&T work and raising the status of the subject to a broad audience. Whilst they involve considerable effort and organisation they can be of great value to students and provide public recognition for their achievements.

Below are the current main national D&T competitions and award schemes. If you have tried others and would like to recommend them for inclusion here, please contact us with the relevant information.

D&T Week: 25-29 June 2012

D&T Week provides a focus for all aspects of D&T education.

Activities might include:

• A design and technology challenge for whole year groups
• Bringing in a designer in residence
• Design and make activities linked to local industries
• Mini-enterprise activities
• Exhibition of work in school or in the local community
• Visits to local companies, museums or activity centres
• A design and technology conference for teachers

Organising activities

As a wide range of activities is possible, organisation may have to be at many different levels, but the following key steps may be helpful for planning:

• Draft ideas for an activity
• Hold a meeting with colleagues in schools, or with local schools or supportive companies
• Agree the proposals then develop an action plan to set up the event
• Advertise the event – let us know in good time and we can post information for you, or use local contacts to broadcast what you are doing.
• Seek sponsors if required
• Plan venues and activities
• Ensure local press, radio, television are invited to the launch
• Send us some pictures and details of what you have done and we will try to publish it in one of our magazines. Send to the Publications Manager: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Competitions

Primary Leaders Award for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
A free award open to pupils between the ages of 5 and 11. The Award asks pupils to write a letter of application to apply for the post of Leader for STEM in their school, detailing how they are involved in STEM activities. To complete the award they then interview a Scientist, Technologist, Engineer or Mathematician about their life and career. Each year a number of Special Awards are added, each with its own focus interviews and their own prizes. For more information and resources This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.leadersaward.com

Primary Engineer BLOODHOUND SSC Challenge
Based on the current world land speed record attempt being made by Richard Nobel and Andy Green and a team of engineers, scientists and designers to build a car that will travel at a design speed of 1050mph! The Challenge is free to enter and a range of resources are available to support the classroom or club activity. Students are to design a stored energy vehicle to travel at speed over a set distance. Teams can be all primary aged students or a mixture of ages including adults and secondary pupils working alongside primary pupils two leagues are offered Primary and Community. For more information visit: www.primaryengineer.com

Teachers can attend a practical training day where they build models to take back into school, learn about the project and competition, try out the resources and meet the engineers that will be supporting the project.

Resources include six interactive whiteboard lessons for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, workbooks and digital portfolios.

A national competition brings together schools, children and families to celebrate their work.