This resource, aimed at primary level, looks at diet and sustainable food production. Designed as a cross curricular workshop it links to the topic areas of the senses, healthy eating, sustainability and how human activity impacts upon our environment. Children identify some common foods using their sense of smell...

In this challenge, students are asked to consider the impact of people suffering from heart conditions, both to the individual and to wider society. They then generate ideas for using programmable systems to improve people’s health, and to monitor themselves. A video introduces the idea of a heart rate monitor, and...

In this activity, students consider the heating effects of infrared energy, and how this is used in a range of products. They design a simple experiment to measure the heating effect of toasters, thermal heaters, infrared mouse, kettles (with heating elements) and...

Aimed at upper primary, this resource contains a series of lessons which explore forces and flight through a practical challenge where children work in teams to investigate materials and then design, make and test their own gliders. The first lesson sets the scene and introduces the problem as well as some basic...

Aimed at primary level, this resource provides a cross-curricular design and technology project which links to work on the properties and uses of materials and in particular floating and sinking. Throughout the lessons children design and make a floating island and discover more about the work of engineers...

Students first evaluate existing alarm systems and learn about a burglar’s attitude towards them using a video featuring reformed criminals. They are then briefed to create a working door access and alarm system using a BBC micro:bit and selected input and output components such as LDRs, reed switches, buzzers and...

Reducing energy usage in the home saves money, increases energy security and reduces the need to burn unsustainable fossil fuels. The first step in doing this is monitoring how much energy is...

One of the units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. Children design and make a healthy cold drink for another class member.

Each child will have to find out the preferences and needs of the consumer and will include feedback from that person as part of the evaluation process

One of the units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. Children design and make a carrier that meets the needs of a person who has to carry particular items.

The aim is to develop a carrier...

One of the units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. In this unit, students write a specification for toast that meets the identified preferences of a particular person. They then make a serving of toast to that specification. The task can be widened to include the development of a...

One of the units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. Children research a person's preferences for a hot drink and fulfill those preferences by serving a drink that meets the specification.

...

One of the units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. Children design and make a controllable, battery-powered toy vehicle using card, wood, found materials, mechanical and electrical components.

The toy created can be based on an actual vehicle, on a vehicle from a book or film, or...

One of the units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology materials in which students design and make a calendar illustrated with monsters, one for each month of the year. Each monster is designed and produced by a team of children using suitable computer software. The calendar must be made to...

One of the units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. Students in groups write a short story with a message before designing and making the puppets and theatre that can be used to tell the story.

Planning the production is an important part of the activity, with the performance as...