Typically completed by 5-11 year olds, CREST Star and SuperStar challenges relate to everyday experiences. Children complete eight activities to gain a CREST Award, with each activity taking between 45 minutes and one hour to complete.
The activities are designed to be easy-to-run and low-cost. You don’t need to be a teacher, have a science background or have access to specialist equipment to run them. The packs contain helpful hints and tips for you to use, explaining the scientific themes and offering guidance on conversation topics for your children.
MUDDY MESS MUDDY MESS Muddy Mess Activity Card Gem and Cosmic are very excited. Today is the day of the school party. They set off really early, dressed in their party clothes. It has been raining for days, but now, HOORAY, the sun has come out. What a wonderful day for a party! Gem is so keen to get to the party that she skips on ahead. “Wait for me!” Cosmic shouts. But Gem doesn’t hear him, she is too busy dancing along in the sunshine. Suddenly, SPLAT, Gem trips and falls into a muddy puddle. Oh no! Her lovely new T-shirt is covered with mud. What can she do? Luckily MUDDY they are MESS very close to Aunt Stella’s house, so they knock on her door. “Oh dear,” says Aunt Stella, as she opens the door. “What a muddy mess!” “Can you get me clean again for the party?” Gem asks in a sad, little voice. “I am sure there is something we can do,” says Aunt Stella kindly. “We just need to think about it.” Gem thinks the mud will brush off when it’s dry Cosmic thinks we might need soap and water Aunt Stella thinks it will soon rinse out with some cold water Have you ever got your clothes really dirty? How did you get them clean?
Your challenge Find out the best way to get muddy clothes clean. Discuss Talk to your buddy about how to find out the best way to get clothes clean again. What do you think? Getting started Put some mud onto 3 pieces of fabric. Use the same fabric and the same amount of mud. Wash 1 piece in cold water, 1 in water with soap, and leave 1 to dry then brush the mud off. Does the water or soap get the mud off? Was your test fair? What do you think would happen if you use warm water or different soap? . MUDDY MESS MUDDY MESS Test your ideas DY MESS Can you think of other ways to try to get the mud out? Share your ideas You could put your materials on the winners’ podium. Put the one that is the cleanest on the top. Or you could make a poster about how to get dirty clothes clean. Extra things to do Try different stains e.g. tomato sauce, fruit juice. Don’t get them on your own clothes! Find out if all washing powders are as good as each other at getting things clean. British Science Association Registered Charity No. 212479 and SC039236
Collections of one hour challenges recommended for children aged 5-7 years that relate to children’s everyday experiences. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the CREST Star page.
Collections of one hour challenges recommended for children aged 7-11 years that realate to broader situations that children are likely to have come across. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the CREST SuperStar page.
