By Caitlin Brown, CREST Product Manager at the British Science Association

It goes without saying that this year has tried and tested schools across the UK. Having taught the curriculum at home, online, within bubbles and without key resources, teachers – as well as parents and guardians – have planned, innovated and adapted lessons like never before.

Project-based activities like those offered by CREST have been a lifeline for educators teaching remotely or at a social distance, often with little equipment to hand. While CREST activities are often used as enrichment tools to encourage extra-curricular student engagement with STEM subjects, many directly support learning within the science curricula of the UK – particularly at primary level.

Keen to engage more young learners with STEM, the British Science Association is thrilled to launch a brilliant new resource that will help more primary teachers use CREST Star and SuperStar activities within their teaching.

Free to download, this resource clearly maps the relevant Star and SuperStar activities against content areas found in the primary science curricula for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. All CREST activities mentioned in the booklet are also freely available from the CREST primary resource library and comprise a vibrant activity sheet for pupils and handy organisers card for teachers.

What’s more, once pupils have completed eight Star or SuperStar challenges – logging their progress on a special CREST passport along the way – they have done enough to achieve a CREST Award! If you teach primary-level science, why not challenge your pupils to don their STEM caps and work towards their own CREST Awards over the course of a term?

Numerous teachers have already experienced the benefits of adding CREST into curriculum time. Naila Bachour, Deputy Headteacher of Nash Mill C of E Primary School, has already used Star and SuperStar resources for both extra-curricular activities and to support the teaching of the science topics. She says that ‘the activities are well planned, giving a clear scenario that helps children put the science concept in context. This is usually done in the context of them solving something and they love feeling like real scientists! … For any school interested in building a growth mindset and encouraging and supporting the development of resilience, perseverance and team building, this is brilliant.'

As classrooms revive and primary schools return to (the new) normal, more and more teachers are turning to project-based CREST activities to strengthen pupils’ reflection, research and communication skills – not to mention their curiosity and creativity.  

If you have any questions about the resource, or if you are a teacher who would like to share your experience of running CREST in the classroom, please get in touch with us at [email protected].