Welcome to the latest STEM newsletter  for Primary Schools from your local STEM Ambassador Hub. 

We understand that these times are  difficult for each one of our learners, families and colleagues.  During this time, we know that teachers & parents are surfing the web looking for fun, interesting activities for their children whilst teachers are trying to prepare and deliver as many lessons as possible. Our priority is to support this mission so  we will be sourcing and sharing new home & school resources, competitions, videos, projects, ideas, awards and more! 
See Science  have a facebook page where we will also be sharing lots of new ideas regularly - please like or follow the page.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can support the teaching of STEM subjects 
With best wishes 
The See Science Team


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The newsletter that's an essential source of information and inspiration for teachers and anyone with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) engagement in Wales.

CONTENTS

STEM news and Events
 

Local events and funding opportunities
 

Competitions and resources
 

CPD from STEM Learning
 
 
To support teachers to continue educating young people while they are at home, STEM Learning  have developed a range of materials, including free resources, tips from our subject experts and professional development opportunities.
 
Their  Education Team have also recommended a selection of activities to support parents and carers with home learning.
If you need any help, subject experts are available weekdays from 8:30 am to 4.30 pm via webchat, which you can find on  all their web pages.

A STEM Ambassador's involvement can engage and enthuse both students and teachers. If you are interested in asking a STEM Ambassador to assist you can make your request here. We’ve created brief guides to encourage both STEM Ambassadors and educators to use the self-service. 

If an Ambassador has engaged with you, or if you have met an Ambassador at an enrichment activity, we would be very grateful if you could fill in our teacher feedback form. Please encourage colleagues to respond.

 
 

LATEST STEM NEWS

Can you encourage learners to...
 

The Royal Society of Chemistry is offering a wide range of teaching resources and support for teachers working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, including free professional development courses.All resources are available for free if you register on the RSC Education website.  Primary Science Demonstrations illustrate basic scientific concepts using the simple ideas and everyday products.

The Science Ideas Web explores ideas for science activities related to common primary topics, cross-linked to periods of history, including Ancient Greece or the Victorian era  which could be an ideal starting point if you are thinking of the new curriculum as well as Edible experimentswhich could enthuse your students, excite or just amaze members of the family. 


Explorify will use this blog to update you on the latest support for teachers, parents, carers and children with their science over the coming weeks.
Their first activity collections are now available.  Explorify at home is a weekly supply of activities for parents and carers to do with their learners at home. It's based on the primary science curriculum, but easy to do at home. Explore plants or the properties of materials today! 
 You can also get involved in #ScienceFromHome on Twitter, where Explorify will be  sharing even more bite-sized activities that children can do from home. Like the one in the picture above. Teachers can join our Explorify Staffroom on Facebook for updates on new content, or to ask a question to the teaching community. 
 

The NFU also have some useful resources - have a look at their STEMterprise resources. STEMterprise projects take children through each stage of setting up a farm shop business: considering seasonality when deciding which crop to grow, growing their own ingredients, considering nutrition when designing their recipes, using market research to test their ideas out with potential consumers, working within a budget when buying additional ingredients, learning knife skills when making their products, calculating expected profit, designing responsible packaging and much more. Curriculum links included.
 
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Magnetic attraction of STEM Ambassadors with Sandfields Primary (Port Talbot)

Teacher Rachael Webbe was keen to explore themes of Electricity for Science Week as key curricular topics. Placing a request to STEM Ambassador Sian Ashton she secured 3 visits.
STEM Ambassador Jon Laver built his own Electromagnetic Demonstration kit, Jon worked for many years as an Electrical Engineer with the National Grid. Experience in this topic he has proved that career information and complex ideas are best conveyed for primary pupils through practical demonstrations. 
STEM Ambassadors appreciate a good host and good response from pupils – most important to encourage repeat visits as Jon reported!
‘Rachael, I had a good day at your school yesterday. It has a nice atmosphere
and polite and very well behaved children. Thank you for your arrangements.

Rachael reported:
‘All of the volunteers who responded were excellent with the children and we really enjoyed their input. Thanks so much for putting me in touch.’........
Again, heartfelt thanks from a teacher who now also understands a little more about electromagnetism than I did before. ....Rachael 
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Science Week at Edwardsville Primary (Tredegar)

Teacher Catherine Price placed her request with the STEM Ambassador Coordinator early for STEM Ambassador sessions during Science Week. Luckily this occurred just before the current crisis caused lockdown and three Ambassadors offered superb sessions ranging across several curriculum topics.
Nicola Jones offered a challenge on recycling steel followed by a poster competition which launched the week. Fatemah Mohamad and Daniel Davies (Go Compare) brought a practical activity on Software Engineering. Tim Homan (Nat West) delivered Money Sense and Maths. 
Catherine kindly sent feedback following these hugely popular activities:
 ‘The assembly that was organised to launch the week was great. A competition was set by Nicola but unfortunately was unable to be judged due to shutdown!
All the STEM ambassadors that came, including Timothy from Nat West, provided suitable and enjoyable activities, talks or workshops. 
So, once again many thanks for being able to support our pupil's learning this year.
 Yr 4 teacher Catherine Price

Local events

March -  Careers in Chemistry Workshop Training

Join See Science and the Royal Society of Chemistry for a training workshop on how to deliver an interactive presentation focusing on Careers in Chemistry.

An opportunity to share your passion for the subject and convince young people that a chemistry qualification opens the door to a wide range of careers options, both in and out of the lab. There are endless interesting and rewarding science-based jobs available including ones you might not have thought of. Chemical scientists make a difference everyday.

All participants will be provided with a resource pack including a presentation and a range of hands on activities that can be tailored to the audience. . They are suitable for teachers, technicians and STEM Ambassadors 

To book please use the links below:    

Zoom details will be sent 24hrs before meeting

Read more
 
Making Space Workshop Thursday April 30th at 2pm  - repeated on Tuesday 12th May at 4pm online

Join Dr Katherine Compton in Cardiff to find out more about activities that  you could offer to inspire young people to be interested in astronomy and space as part of the One Million Interactions initiative which was launched at the UK Space Agency’s conference in Newport, supported by STEM Learning, ESERO UK and The Careers and Enterprise Company, in order to attract more young people into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the space industry, which generates billions of pounds for the economy and is creating 42,000 jobs. 

This workshop will provide you with a variety of new ideas and resources that could be used at both primary and secondary level and is suitable for teachers, community group leaders, STEM Ambassadors and volunteers Book here 

 

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ASE Primary Teachmeet 2pm. May 6th 2020 Online

This event is for Primary educators with a focus on practical activities that you can do remotely with pupils or set as activities they can do in the home with limited resources.
ASE TeachMeets are an informal, fun and inspiring way for teachers to share ideas with one another. People come to share or just to listen. Those who want to share a resource, a teaching approach or any great idea to help teachers and their students do a short presentation. Five minutes is a typical length and using a PowerPoint and providing materials are entirely optional.
Come along and meet like-minded colleagues and be inspired! The event is free but please register so that we can organise the order of presenters. Choose your ticket type below depending on whether or not you intend to present. The link to Zoom will be sent the day before the teachmeet to those who have registered.
Refreshments will be available from 3.00 in your own home!

Read more

The Great Science Share 2020  is about children communicating something that they have been investigating which starts with a question that they are interested in. Already having reached over 100,000 young people since its launch in 2016, we are excited to invite you to be part of the collaborative 2020 campaign. 
REGISTER FOR FREE

From w/o 4th May, there will be a weekly theme launched to inspire your children and you. It’ll be a great way for children to share their scientific questions with each other. These a new webpage in creation just for you! Watch this space
A brand new Great Science Groove-along- for release w/o 4th May. Read all about it and take part in a mass science share this year. 
16th June 2020 Great Science Share – the great day for young people to share science they love– it can be something they’ve done before in school or at home, something they’ve watched or something new they do on the day!
It’s simple! Everyone can do it! No fees or charges. 
Parents/carers, teachers, STEM organisations and others. If you want to take part… Register to:
  • receive relevant information and news, including free resources
  • be awarded a bespoke 2020 Great Science Share Certificatefor your child/children
  • enter into a free prize draw for resources to go to your child’s school as soon as they’re back!
Competitions

The Great Bug Hunt 2020
Run every year by the ASE in partnership with the Royal Entomological Society, the ever popular Great Bug Hunt competition takes science learning out of the Primary classroom and brings it to life in the outdoors. 

Our challenge is pretty simple - take your class outside, equip them with magnifying glasses and notepads, and point them at the nearest hedges, flower beds, trees, long grass, logs, stones, rocks (well, you get the picture)... and let them explore and report back what they find.

Your entries might be a wall poster, a report, a video or even a podcast or poem! Our ambition is simply to empower primary teachers to enthuse their pupils about the potential of exploring the natural world on their doorstep.

The closing date for entries is 12th June 2020.

Details here.
Read more

!!CAN DO AT HOME!! School Robot Competition:
5 to 7 year olds - Draw a Robot
7 to 11 year olds - Once upon a robot

Does your 5 to 7 year old have the imagination to draw a winning robot design?
Does your 7 to 11 year old have the creativity to write a great robot story?
Closing date is June 8. Details here 
Read more


This competition is targeted at 7-14 year olds. The whole project is designed to last for the whole summer term, culminating with an entry for the great exhibition. There are 7weeks worth of activities in the project and even a Facebook group to support entrants. 
Entrants are required submit a 1 minute video presenting their Great Exhibition at Home, which tackles the question:

How can engineering help protect the planet?

Take part in The Great Exhibition at Home Challenge to be in with a chance of winning fantastic prizes including: £500 worth of equipment to supersize STEM subjects in your school, the opportunity to video chat one with one of our inspiring engineers and more! The deadline for entries is 10thSeptember. 
To register, download resources and find out more visit the website here.
 
Awards

CREST AWARDS

Teachers and parents looking for ways children can be engaged in science-based activities at home with very few resources need look no further than CREST Awardactivities! The CREST Award Resource Library has details of a wide range of STEM activities that can be used to gain CREST Awards. There are suitable activities for all ages and all abilities, all free to download and use. All primary resources have been written for non-science specialists.In response to the COVID-19 school closures, the British Science Association– who run the CREST Awards – have identified particular activities for 5 to 14 year olds that require little or no resources.

Examples include:
From the CREST Star collection (Foundation)
Rainbow colour collectors (page 40): This is an opportunity for students to find all the colours of the rainbow in the world around them. This activity is perfect for the home and could lead nicely into an art project.
From the CREST SuperStar collection (KS2)
A hole in my bucket (page 6): For this activity, all students need are plastic cups, blue tac, cellotape, a straw, and other things that can help them solve the problem of a hole in the bucket.

The stated ages are guidelines only and, for those looking for something a little more challenging for older pupils, have a look at the Bronze Award section. Appropriate examples to do at home include: Devise an experiment into making the perfect cup of tea.

Teachers and parents are still able to apply for CREST certificates online for students who have fulfilled the Awards criteria. Please contact Llinos at llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk for more information.
 
Read more

Primary Science Teacher Awards 2020 are now open!
Teachers that are doing incredible work, raising standards, excelling in tough conditions and going above and beyond deserve to be celebrated. The Primary Science Teacher Awards do just that - we celebrate, reward and provide a plethora of opportunity for these deserving teachers.

The awards are open to all current practising Primary Teachers (full or part-time) who:

  • are innovative and creative in teaching science;
  • inspire colleagues and contribute to developing science in their school and beyond;
  • engage pupils in the excitement and fascination of science.

Teachers who win a Primary Science Teacher Award support colleagues in their own and other schools, either locally, regionally or nationally, to raise the profile of science and the quality of primary school science provision. Closing date for nominations is 12 June.  Details here.

Funding opportunities and Awards

IOP Funding in Wales

Do you have ideas for extra-curricular opportunities for your students? The Institute of Physics Wales’s Public Engagement grant scheme is designed to give financial support of up to £750 to individuals and organisations running physics-based events and activities in Wales. This grant scheme is open all year round and applications will be assessed by the Institute of Physics in Wales Committee. Successful applicants will be notified by email of the outcome within six weeks of the closing date.
The Institute of Physics centrally also offers grants of up to £600 to schools.
More information and the application process here. 

Read more

Online courses for teachers

A range of free-to-access online courses for teachers at every stage of their career. You will have the opportunity to learn from leading experts and share ideas with thousands of other educators across the world. Download the calendar to see what courses are on offer and when they are available to join.
 

Latest CPD from your Science Learning Partnership

To find out more about the latest CPD from your Science Learning  Partnership click here

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