April STEM Roundup

Welcome to the April edition of our STEM / Edtech Roundup. In this edition you'll find information about: BioArtAttack Competition, Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition, Starpack Schools Competition, Edina Trust Grants and SmallPeice Trust STEM events. Get a free primary science powerpoint, plus a discount code for the rest of the site.

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BioArtAttack 2D - Biology Art Competition

BioArtAttack 2D is a children's art competition from the Royal Society of Biology. The competition celebrates and highlights the benefits of combining art and science.

The competition is for people aged 7-18 years old (in the UK and outside of the UK) to draw or paint their favourite animal, plant or fungi. The competition is open to entries of two-dimensional artworks only. It's open to entries until 30th June 2024. Click the button for more information.

Read more

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Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

Discover cutting-edge research and innovation at the Royal Society's unmissable Summer Science Exhibition, taking place from 2 – 7 July 2024, a free interactive experience open to everyone with a curious mind. UK Schools can book places for their GCSE/A Level Groups for 3-5 July.

This year, visitors can get hands-on with personal brain scanners, hear real ice core samples from Antarctica, marvel at a chandelier made from a waste product generated in optical fibre manufacturing, or learn how stem cells are revealing secrets of the embryo

Find Out More

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StarPack Schools Competition

Register now for the new Schools Starpack Competition for pupils aged 9 to 17 run by the Institute for Materials, Minerals and Mining. The competition has been designed to link to and support the school curriculum, especially Design & Technology, and encourage young people to consider the important role played by packaging in protecting the products we take for granted.

There are three briefs for secondary schools with separate categories for years 7/8, 9/10 and year 12:

• Product design brief
• Product analysis brief
• Packaging research brief

In addition, they have launched a primary brief for KS2 focussing on recycling packaging and identifying packaging materials.

The briefs have all been designed in such a way that they may be incorporated into your scheme of work for delivery in lessons, or they can be run as an extracurricular activity such as a STEM club or STEM Day.

Registration opens in early June and a package of guidance and support is available for each brief. The competition is free to enter, and great prizes are available for the winning pupils. Closing date for submissions 26 July 2024.

Register Here

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Edina Trust Science Grant Scheme

The Edina Trust offers £700 primary school science grants and £500 nursery science grants.

It’s quick and easy to access your Edina funding as it is non-competitive, meaning grants are guaranteed if your school is located within one of their current local authority areas. Primary science grants are available in each area for three consecutive years, making up to a total of £2,100 for primary school science.

Details here

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Smallpeice Trust STEM Events

The Smallpeice Trust is running a number of virtual STEM events in June 2024 designed for primary schools. Their activities turn theory into reality, with a range of make and build projects ranging from designing and testing rockets to learning about electricity by building a basic circuit. These STEM activities are an ideal way to ignite and maintain your students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and maths at a young age.

Learn More

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Science Fix Revamp

The Science Fix website has had a bit of a revamp, with a new logo and a new look to the website. We've tried to make the CPD options clearer. So instead of going straight to the blog you get a more useful landing page that explains who we are and what we do. To read the articles, just click on Blog at the top. Hope you like it!

If you're looking for Science CPD for your staff, get in touch.

Visit here

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FREE Y4 Science Starters PowerPoint

A sample unit covering Living Things and Habitats, taken from the Year 4 Presentation pack. Includes question slides, odd-one-out discussion starters and anagram games. Ideal at the start of a lesson to recap prior learning. Could be used as a plenary too.

Use code Newsletter20 to get 20% off any paid-for product in the downloads store. Coupon valid until 28th April.
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Visit here

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STEM Dates for the Diary May 2024

1st – 7th Hedgehog Awareness Week​

1st – 31st Skin Cancer Awareness Month​

6th – 12th Sun Awareness Week​

19th Endangered Species Day​

20th World Bee Day​

20th – 26th Water Saving Week​

22nd National Numeracy Day​

23rd World Turtle Day​

24th Outdoor Classroom Day​

25th-2nd June Children’s Gardening Week​

Full STEM calendar here

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May's STEM Birthdays

David Attenborough (08/05/1926) Legendary broadcaster and natural historian. Environmental campaigner.

Katie Bouman (09/05/1989) Led the development of an algorithm for imaging black holes. Member of the team that captured the first image of a black hole in 2019.

Florence Nightingale (12/05/1820) Modernised nursing, advocated for health care reform and better sanitation in hospitals.

Justus von Liebig (12/05/1803) Known for his work in chemistry, made significant advancements in the production of high-quality mirrors in the 19th century.

Alice Roberts (19/05/1973) British anatomist, biological anthropologist, author, and television presenter known for her engaging and informative science communication, as well as her contributions to the fields of anthropology and archaeology.

Mary Anning (21/05/1799) Pioneering 19th-century English palaeontologist whose discoveries along the Jurassic Coast of Dorset contributed significantly to our understanding of prehistoric life, including the first complete Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus skeletons.

Carl Linnaeus (23/05/1707) Developed the binomial system of classification of all living things. One of the founders of modern ecology.

Rachel Carson (27/05/1907) American biologist who wrote about the dangers of environmental pollution.

Helen Sharman (30/05/1963) First British person to go into space. Spent 7 days as a cosmonaut on the Russian Mir space station in 1991.

Full List of Scientists Here

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Thank you for following Think Bank. I look forward to sharing more educational technology and science news with you soon. Details of our Science and Technology CPD options can be found here.

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