FIRST® LEGO® League

Team members, coaches, and volunteers all agree – FIRST^® LEGO^® League events are some of the most amazing, inspiring experiences they’ve ever had. Where else can you make new friends, share ideas, solve problems on the fly, and get pumped up over technology all while having the time of your life?

At FIRST LEGO League events, young people realise more than ever that FIRST is all about teamwork, sharing, helping others, and respect
now is the time to get  your team together and think about the ways we can engage a team of students with the  programme. All the resources have been adapted in order to adapt to the online competition and there are also video tutorials for pupils to follow along with during their session time.

Due to a variety of factors around COVID-19, the decision has been made that all regional tournaments will be held remotely (digitally). 
 
Funding is available  to all education groups, including schools. Further information, along with the application form, can be found here. The deadline is 12noon on 26^th November 2020.
 See Science is hoping to host 3 competitions this year in 
SE Wales - 23 April 2021
Pembrokeshire - 16 April 2021
North West Wales  - Welsh medium  - 19 March 2021
If you are interested in attending any of the competitions or would like further information contact cerian.angharad@see-science.co.uk
Registration is now open for 2020-2021 FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge season.
Get your team together and think about the ways we can get people moving!  Details here.

Great Science Share

The Great Science Share for Schools is the award-winning campaign that invites 5-14 year olds to share theirown scientific questions and investigations, to raise the profile of science in schools and communities, and inspire young people into science and engineering. 

So much preparation is already underway to make 2021 even more successful. Keep up to date with what’s on whenby registering your interest. They’ll be monthly announcements and activities culminating on the 15th June 2021. 

There has been a marked change in young people’s awareness of global sustainability issues. So this year we’re encouraging young people to share their scientific questions and investigations about Climate Change.

There is no requirement for young people to focus solely on the campaign theme. It’s there to inspire and connect them if they’re interested. We value children asking their own scientific questions about the things that interest them.
 
Use the Question Makers to inspire young people to discuss and ask questions together on the issue of Climate Change. 
You could use a video clip, book or newspaper to start a conversation. Develop some questions into science enquiries so that they take the lead in making a change in their own homes, classrooms, schools and communities. 
From May 2021, we’ll inspire you with Weekly Themes linked to Climate Change, in the meantime you can explore the a range of resources linked to the Global Sustainability Goals.

Join us for a planning meeting on 11th November at 4.30pm. - more details below
 

Swansea Science Festival Online

Swansea Science Festival is Wales’s largest science festival and for the past 3 years has attracted thousands of visitors to the National Waterfront Museum over October half term. COIVD-19 meant that all that had to change this year and Swansea University put together a fantastic online festival instead. There were over 30 different events in 5 different zones, ranging from the Main Stage to the Fringe Festival.
Impressively, there were many familiar names amongst those presenting sessions: from Steve Backshall who kicked off the festival with “Expedition: Voyages to undiscovered places”, to Konnie Huq’s session entitled “Science, Scribbles and Stories”, to “Grace’s Garage” with Grace Webb of CBeebies. However, the biggest draw of the festival was a session on Sunday evening with Brian Cox discussing “Into the future: The Universe and the next 100 years”, with CERN’s Lyn Evans – one of Swansea University’s most notable alumni. The session proved so popular that it sold out on Eventbrite and was livestreamed on Facebook to ensure everyone had a chance to watch. If you missed the festival last week, you can still watch some of the pre-recorded sessions here:

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/research/in-the-community/swansea-science-festival/family-zone/.

Start planning now for British Science Week 2021!

The British Science Association (BSA) have issued their popular 'sneak peek' packsfor British Science Week 2021 - from the 5^thto the 14^thof March - with the full versions due in January. There are 3 separate packs with one each for Early Years, Primary and Secondary. The theme for the British Science Week 2021 activity packs and poster competition is ‘Innovating for the future’ and they are full of tips to help you organise events and activities for British Science Week.

The BSA say, “In developing this pack, we have looked for activities which break down the stereotypes surrounding science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and promote cross-curricular learning. We encourage you to use British Science Week as an opportunity to link STEM to other curriculum subjects and to your pupils’ own backgrounds, lives and interests.” Perfect for the Curriculum for Wales!

The packs also give suggestions on how to engage remotely with STEM Ambassadors and other volunteers who can really bring your Science Week to life. 

Many of the activities are CREST accredited, so why not think about running a CREST Awardduring British Science Week? CREST Awards give students real-life experience of being a scientist while getting introduced to STEM project work. They are nationally accredited and are a fun, yet educational way to get your children involved in STEM subjects. And Discovery, Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards are all free in Wales!

It’s not too late to apply for a British Science Week Kick Start grant for schools in challenging circumstances. Closing date is November 9^th. 

Competitions - why they can be good for your pupils 

The See Science website has a page dedicated to STEM based academic competitionsappropriate for schools in Wales. We gather and regularly update information on competitions and awards, give a brief description and include a link for more details. Many of the current ones are appropriate for school or home working. 

We have no way of knowing how many Welsh teachers enter their pupils into STEM competitions but we often get feedback from organisers that entries are low - particularly so from Wales. There are likely a variety of reasons for this but here are a few incentives for teachers who are implementing the Curriculum for Wales to consider entering their pupils into a competition or two:

Quoted from an article by the Institute of Competition Sciences entitled, “10 Ways Competitions Enhance Learning”. Find the complete article here: https://www.competitionsciences.org/2016/07/04/10-ways-competitions-enhance-learning/

Improving Teamwork and Collaboration- Most team-based educational competitions require students to take on challenging tasks that require good communication, collaboration, and teamwork. The fact that they are striving to achieve such a challenging task together, makes them work harder at understanding their specific skills, and how to work well with one another. 

Enhancing Social and Emotional Learning- Through competitions students can gain better understanding of how to deal with conflicting opinions and ideas. They can learn how to collaborate with widely differing personalities. 

Facilitating Growth Mindsets- Competitions set a framework for practicing and facilitating a growth mindset for our students. They give benchmarks upon which we can base our improvements, and put value on the challenge of improving.

Building Mental Toughness- They can learn through their participation that failing to achieve the best marks is not the end of the journey, but just a stepping stone, and an amazing learning experience... Companies look for employees who are able to handle the stress of competitive situations they will be faced with. Educational Competitions ensure that students will not be put in these situations for the first time when they jump into their jobs.

 

The Great Science Share. Wednesday 11 November 4.30 - 5.30pm Online

Join us to discuss forthcoming plans for the Great Science Share 2021 - an annual campaign to inspire young people to share their scientific questions with new audiences.

The Great Science Share for Schools is the award-winning campaign that invites 3-14 year olds to share their own scientific questions and investigations, to raise the profile of science in schools and communities, and inspire young people into science and engineering.

This meeting is the first meeting for those who are interested in the GSS in Wales.

So much preparation is already underway to make 2021 even more successful. Keep up to date with what’s on when.  Register here.

ASE - Chartered Science Teacher Workshop. Monday 9 November 4.30 - 5.30pm Online

Chartered Science Teacher (CSciTeach) is a chartered mark recognising excellence in science teaching and learning. Gaining CSciTeach demonstrates your commitment to your profession and can help you to advance your career.

You will be taken through the specific criteria for becoming a CSciTeach and look at how those criteria can be met. 

We will share examples of successful past applications and help you see how your own situation can relate to them. We also look at the CPD requirements of maintaining your status as a CSiTeach and the many flexible approaches to this.

To benefit from this workshop you should ideally be ready, or nearly ready to start applying.  Details and booking here.

Saturday STEM Spectacular. Saturday 21 November 10am - 2pm Online

The Saturday STEM Spectacular (organised by the ASE and Wolverhampton University) is an event aimed at people of all ages. The event will showcase many exciting STEM based activities for the very young to older people. It runs from 10-2pm on Saturday 21st November 2020 and is an online event. A Zoom link will be sent out to you a couple of days before the event. The sessions will be streamed on You Tube.

The day will begin with activities aimed at the 5 year olds upwards but will include activities that will inspire pupils, students, teachers, parents, guardians and others.

There will be 5 of these sessions including, for example: foraging and finding out, awesome surfaces-the types of surfaces that you have never seen before. Each will offer a couple of hints and tips for teachers too.

Details and booking here.

Network Rail Competition

Network Rail have created a new version of their Emily the Engineer activity book for children. It is full of puzzles and quizzes and the opportunity to take part in a competition to win a family trip for 4 on Eurostar to Disneyland Paris.

To enter, primary aged children need to imagine and draw what the train of the future would look like. Details are on page 8 of the activity booklet.  

Closing date is Friday 20th November 2020. Details here.

Farmvention Competition - NFU Education

Farmvention (when farming meets invention) is a national STEM competition run by NFU Education and aimed at children aged 5 – 14 (school years 1 -9) in England and Wales.

This year, the challenge is all about the problems that climate change creates for British farmers and how they are fighting it to become Climate Superheroes.

There are four themed inspiration hubs to get you thinking and each one is full of investigations to complete at home or school, alongside some exciting tours of our climate superheroes’ farms to inspire you.

You can enter the competition individually or as part of a team or class and there is a host of amazing prizes for the winning schools. Winners will present their ideas at a prestigious event at the Houses of Parliament and win £1000 for their school to spend on STEM or Outdoor Learning equipment! All entrants will become certified ‘farmventors’ and receive a reward pack including a certificate and mini prize. 

Entries close on 31 May 2021.  Details here.

FIRST® LEGO® League

The FIRST LEGO League Explore and FIRST LEGO League Discover programmes have both been adapted as home editions so that parents can deliver the programmes with their children at home.

We’ve also enabled over 150 schools that remain open for key worker children to deliver both programmes with free class packs and sets. Both of these initiatives have been very popular, so to support parents with home learning and schools running the programme we have created session video tutorials to follow along with during their session time.

Registration is now open for 2020-2021 FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge season.
Get your team together and think about the ways we can get people moving!  Details here.

BSA Kick Start scheme for British Science Week 2021

British Science Week is an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and maths that is coordinated by the British Science Association (BSA) and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).  

Our purpose is to distribute grants of £150-£700 to schools in challenging circumstances to run events and activities during British Science Week 2021 (05 - 14 March).  

The fund is open to schools in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (including special schools, Early Years education providers and pupil referral units).  

The deadline for applications is 5pm, Monday 9 November 2020.

Details here.

BSA Community Grants for British Science Week 2021

The mission of the British Science Week Community Grant Scheme is to expand the audiences that engage with science and self-identify as having an interest in science by empowering and supporting community groups to run their own science activities during British Science Week (5-14 March 2021).

The scheme offers £500-£2,000 grants for community groups that work directly with audiences who are traditionally under-represented and currently not engaged in science activity.

Our definition of groups that are underrepresented in science includes:

• people from ethnic minorities
• people with low socio-economic status, including people disadvantaged in terms of education and income
• people with a physical or mental condition or impairment
• people living in a remote and rural location, defined as settlements of less than 10,000 people
• girls and women.

Community grants cannot be used for events or activities with school groups unless they are a special education needs (SEN) school. If you represent a school and meet the eligibility criteria, please apply for our Kick Start Grants instead (see above).

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday, 9 November 2020.  Details here.