Primary challenges (ages 3-11)


Typically completed by 3-11 year olds, CREST Star and SuperStar challenges relate to everyday experiences. Children complete six to 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.

There are more CREST approved resources that have been developed by our partners and providers specific to your region.


To browse the packs, click the buttons below or scroll down.

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All SuperStar challenges

  • Text
  • Handson
  • Stem
  • Challenges
  • Discussion
  • Explore
  • Create
  • Experiment
  • Investigate
  • Toothpaste
  • Materials
  • Glue
  • Tomato
  • Yoghurt
  • Superstar
The activities in this pack have been selected from our library of CREST SuperStar challenges. Children need to complete eight challenges to achieve a CREST SuperStar Award. If you want, you can mix and match challenges from different packs, as long as children complete eight SuperStar challenges. This resource is published under an Attribution - non-commercial - no derivatives 4.0 International creative commons licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

A Special New Tree

A Special New Tree Organiser’s Card About the activity This activity is designed to get children thinking about different types of trees and their different characteristics. The local council in the town of Treedwell is planting a new tree in their special green space. However, they’re not sure which tree to plant and need a little help deciding, lots of local residents have different ideas of what they would like from a tree. Through this activity you will support your group to: • Research different kinds of trees and their characteristics • Do a survey to find out what tree characteristics their friends and family like • Write a letter to Treedwell council to recommend a tree based on their research. Kit list • Access to the internet • Plain paper to draw up the survey • Tree guides to identify a range of trees and describe their characteristics • Clipboards • Pencils What to do 1. Introduce the activity using the ‘letter’ from Treedwell council. 2. Give out activity cards and equipment to the children. 3. Explain that they will be conducting a survey to find out which characteristics different people like in trees. They will then need to do some research, using the tree guides or the website links on the activity card, to find out different characteristics of different trees, to decide which tree would be best suited. 4. Encourage children to discuss their ideas. Prompt questions: • What questions will they ask in their survey? • Who will they ask? • How will they record their results? • How will they make sure they get a range of opinions? 5. Support children to conduct their surveys and make their own records of their results. They could use the data they collect to make a table or a graph. 6. Ask the children to present their findings to the rest of the group, they can be as creative in their presentation as they want.

Things to talk about Children may not know the names of trees. You can help them by providing access to simple identification guides. You can obtain a simple tree identification guide from www.opalexplorenature.org/crest Take it further Encourage the children to use a range of different ways to find out which tree might be best. If they use the survey on the ACTIVITY CARD, encourage them to add, change or delete questions, and think about who to ask. Encourage the children to make their own records, such as a table or a block graph. Keywords • Survey • Ecology • Evergreen • Native • Habitat Watch out! Remind children not to approach strangers to get them to complete the survey, unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult. British Science Association Registered Charity No. 212479 and SC039236

  • Page 1 and 2: Challenges collection Suitable for
  • Page 3 and 4: Contents Activity Page A hole in my
  • Page 6 and 7: A Hole in my Bucket Organiser’s C
  • Page 8 and 9: A Hole in my Bucket Activity Card D
  • Page 12 and 13: A Special New Tree Activity Card De
  • Page 14 and 15: A Sticky Problem Organiser’s Card
  • Page 16 and 17: A Sticky Problem Activity Card Dear
  • Page 18: Test your ideas You may want to rec
  • Page 21 and 22: What to do 1. Introduce the activit
  • Page 23 and 24: Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Tape Ela
  • Page 25 and 26: Discuss Children may need to be sho
  • Page 27 and 28: Getting started How will you test y
  • Page 29 and 30: 5. Now give each group 5 sheets of
  • Page 31 and 32: Test your ideas Test it with weight
  • Page 33 and 34: Things to think about Birds often w
  • Page 35 and 36: Getting started What materials can
  • Page 37 and 38: Things to think about It is possibl
  • Page 39 and 40: Getting started Where will you look
  • Page 41 and 42: Bumblebee Mystery Pollinator 1 1 2
  • Page 44 and 45: Buy Them Try Them Organiser’s Car
  • Page 46 and 47: Buy Them Try Them Activity Card To:
  • Page 48 and 49: Camouflaged Creatures Organiser’s
  • Page 50 and 51: Camouflaged Creatures Activity Card
  • Page 52 and 53: Cheesy Challenge Organiser’s Card
  • Page 54 and 55: Cheesy Challenge Activity Card Cosm
  • Page 56 and 57: Colorado Brown Stain Organiser’s
  • Page 58 and 59: Colorado Brown Stain Activity Card
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    Crafty Rafts Organiser’s Card Abo

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    Crafty Rafts Activity Card NEWS CRA

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    Disappearing Dinosaurs Organiser’

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    Disappearing Dinosaurs Activity Car

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    Discus Dilemma Organiser’s Card A

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    Discus Dilemma Activity Card Mr Cle

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    Drifting Dandelions Organiser’s C

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    Drifting Dandelions Help our Raveno

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    Fantastic Fingerprints Organiser’

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    Fantastic Fingerprints Activity Car

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    Fossil Folly Organiser’s Card Abo

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    Fossil Folly Activity Card A box of

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    Uncle Astro Get Set Jellies Organis

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    Get Set Jellies Activity Card Uncle

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    Goodbye Old Tree Organiser’s Card

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    Goodbye Old Tree Activity Card NEWS

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    Hoodie Hearing Organiser’s Card A

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    Hoodie Hearing Activity Card Headte

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    How Do You Drink Yours? Organiser

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    How Do You Drink Yours? Tea rituals

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    Share your ideas Do most people dri

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    What to do 1. In advance prepare th

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    NVESTIGATING INK Discuss What ways

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    Things to think about Encourage the

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    Getting started Think about how oth

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    Things to think about The cups and

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    Getting started Some of your fellow

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    CALAMITY What to do 1. Read the ACT

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    Getting started A kite is made up o

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    What to do MAKING TOOTHPASTE 1. Rea

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    Your challenge Bright Smile Toothpa

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    OUTDOOR GYM OUTDOOR GYM Outdoor Gym

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    Outdoor Gym R GYM Activity Card You

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    Test your ideas Which parts of the

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    Things to think about In this activ

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    Discuss Can you think of any intere

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    Playground Games PLAYGROUND GAMES O

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    Playground Games PLAYGROUND GAMES A

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    Polymer Problem Organiser’s Card

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    Polymer Problem Activity Card To: Y

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    Protecting Polymers Organiser’s C

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    Protecting Polymers Activity Card Y

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    ACING ROCKETS Racing Rockets Organi

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    Keywords • Aerodynamics • Fligh

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    Discuss Are all rockets the same sh

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    What to do 1. Read the ACTIVITY CAR

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    RECYCLE REUSE Recycle Reuse Activit

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    Spinning Solutions Organiser’s Ca

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    Spinning Solutions Activity Card Ri

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    Super Spinners Organiser’s Card A

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    SUPER SPINNERS Take it further In t

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    Getting started SUPER SPINNERS You

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    Things to think about Many of the p

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    Getting started Here is what Frank

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    Testing and Comparing Tea Organiser

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    Testing and Comparing Tea Activity

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    Tomato Sauce Organiser’s Card TOM

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    Keywords • Sauce • Viscosity SA

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    Discuss TOMATO SAUCE How thick do y

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    Things to think about Some trees wi

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    Getting started Some fellow investi

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    What to do 1. Read the ACTIVITY CAR

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    TUMBLING TOAST Tumbling Toast TUMBL

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    Under Your Feet Organiser’s Card

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    Take it further There is a wide ran

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    Getting started Cut a big foot shap

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    Things to think about Scientists ar

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    Getting started You could start by

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    Windy Ways Organiser’s Card About

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    Windy ways Activity Card NEWS NEWS

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    Worm Charming Organiser’s Card Ab

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    Keywords • Nature • Vibration

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    WORM CHARMING Getting started Make

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    6. Help the children to make their

  • Page 221 and 222:

    Getting started Before you start wa

Star level

Collections of one hour challenges recommended for children aged 3-7 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.


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SuperStar level


Collections of one hour challenges recommended for children aged 7-11 years that relate 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.


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