Educational visits are always a highlight of any school year, with museums, historical experiences and outdoor activity centres often winning in the popularity stakes, but what about a visit to a local manufacturing plant or science laboratory? Some might feel that this would be a health and safety headache best avoided, or perhaps that a class…

In 2018-19, Dr. Guirong Wang, from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, spent a year with the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC). CIEC has been involved in world-class outreach work for thirty years. They have combined the design of effective practical programmes with research and evaluation of impact. This article explores…

The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC) team at the University of York has carried out research and evaluation into the impact of their resources and programmes since the programme began in 1996, to ensure that all their programmes -- are improved to meet the changing needs of both schools and companies. Furthermore, their research…

Children look to school to provide stability, role models and wider skills. As part of the school's ongoing STEM journey, it is really important to ensure opportunities are provided to develop students' social and science capital. Engineering education goes hand in hand with good self-esteem, a growth mind set and an evolving confidence to be able…

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has a huge collection of unique and curious objects from the natural world that have been loaned to us by HM Revenue and Customs after being seized at the UK border. Among the turtle shells and snake skins, the strangest of these is perhaps the freestanding rhino-foot ash tray. This single object can open up…

The author became aware of Children Challenging Industry (CCI) whilst undertaking the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) in 2017 was really impressed. The author came to understand the pivotal role in primary education that careers learning has and the vital element of children learning about local industry and being 'hands-on' to make their…

As teachers the authors aim to inspire and instill curiosity while teaching science and this can be enriched by tapping into pupils' interest in what is happening in the outside world. At Whitehill Junior School, they endeavor to make the most of real-life events and seek to foster meaningful links with scientists and engineers to help bring STEM…

Often unheard of unless you are of a certain age and remember audio and video cassettes, BASF are a multinational business with a large chemical site in Bradford, West Yorkshire. On the BASF site is a 'Kids' Lab' that forms part of BASF's educational outreach work. In this article, Leigh Hoath and five teachers from Bradford schools outline a…

After spending most of the day in school, children are typically given additional assignments to be completed at home. The author and colleagues developed a series of science homework tasks for use in primary schools. The difference with these homework tasks, however, was that they were pencil-free: no blank spaces for the children to fill in and…

The challenge schools face when creating a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program is how to incorporate the "E" into the curriculum. The author's school was meeting the National (U. K.) Curriculum Science, Technology and Maths learning objectives, so how could they justify adding another subject into the mix…

Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire was built in 1784 and was one of the first water-powered cotton mills of the Industrial Revolution. While the machines are now powered by electricity, the water wheel still turns and the machines run. Linking the two are cogs, shafts and belts, so it is possible to see how the power of the river was captured and then…

Throughout the United Kingdom's (UK's) primary science curriculum, there are numerous opportunities for teachers to use the farming industry as a rich and engaging real-world context for science learning. Teachers can focus on the animals and plants on the farm as subjects for children to learn about life processes. They can turn attention…

The Eden Project, an educational charity based in Cornwall, is home to the largest rainforest in captivity and is a unique and awe-inspiring destination. It is one thing to talk about the idea of adaptation to environment but quite another to actually go into the rainforest and use your senses to explore up close living examples of ingenious plant…

Last year the author's local beekeeping association had over 700 children visit it. Every single one of them knew that there was a queen bee and all the children and their teachers wanted to see her. Children are fascinated by bees. The whole process of living in an apparently small community, making honey, visiting flowers, waggle dances, having…

Sai Pathmanathan writes in this article that, over the years, her experience working with early-years children (ages 3-5) has taught her that learning it is not about whether the children get the answer right, but more about nurturing their curiosity, encouraging play and learning through hands-on activities, promoting motor skills, group work,…