Primary challenges (ages 3-11)


Typically completed by 3-11 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.

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.

Views
5 years ago

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
  • Page 60 and 61:

    Crafty Rafts Organiser’s Card Abo

  • Page 62 and 63:

    Crafty Rafts Activity Card NEWS CRA

  • Page 64 and 65:

    Disappearing Dinosaurs Organiser’

  • Page 66 and 67:

    Disappearing Dinosaurs Activity Car

  • Page 68 and 69:

    Discus Dilemma Organiser’s Card A

  • Page 70 and 71:

    Discus Dilemma Activity Card Mr Cle

  • Page 72 and 73:

    Drifting Dandelions Organiser’s C

  • Page 74 and 75:

    Drifting Dandelions Help our Raveno

  • Page 76 and 77:

    Fantastic Fingerprints Organiser’

  • Page 78 and 79:

    Fantastic Fingerprints Activity Car

  • Page 80 and 81:

    Fossil Folly Organiser’s Card Abo

  • Page 82 and 83:

    Fossil Folly Activity Card A box of

  • Page 84 and 85:

    Uncle Astro Get Set Jellies Organis

  • Page 86 and 87:

    Get Set Jellies Activity Card Uncle

  • Page 88 and 89:

    Goodbye Old Tree Organiser’s Card

  • Page 90 and 91:

    Goodbye Old Tree Activity Card NEWS

  • Page 92 and 93:

    Hoodie Hearing Organiser’s Card A

  • Page 94 and 95:

    Hoodie Hearing Activity Card Headte

  • Page 96 and 97:

    How Do You Drink Yours? Organiser

  • Page 98 and 99:

    How Do You Drink Yours? Tea rituals

  • Page 100:

    Share your ideas Do most people dri

  • Page 103 and 104:

    What to do 1. In advance prepare th

  • Page 105 and 106:

    NVESTIGATING INK Discuss What ways

  • Page 107 and 108:

    Things to think about Encourage the

  • Page 109 and 110:

    Getting started Think about how oth

  • Page 111 and 112:

    Things to think about The cups and

  • Page 113 and 114:

    Getting started Some of your fellow

  • Page 115 and 116:

    CALAMITY What to do 1. Read the ACT

  • Page 117 and 118:

    Getting started A kite is made up o

  • Page 119 and 120:

    What to do MAKING TOOTHPASTE 1. Rea

  • Page 121 and 122:

    Your challenge Bright Smile Toothpa

  • Page 124 and 125:

    OUTDOOR GYM OUTDOOR GYM Outdoor Gym

  • Page 126 and 127:

    Outdoor Gym R GYM Activity Card You

  • Page 128:

    Test your ideas Which parts of the

  • Page 131 and 132:

    Things to think about In this activ

  • Page 133 and 134:

    Discuss Can you think of any intere

  • Page 136 and 137:

    Playground Games PLAYGROUND GAMES O

  • Page 138 and 139:

    Playground Games PLAYGROUND GAMES A

  • Page 140 and 141:

    Polymer Problem Organiser’s Card

  • Page 142 and 143:

    Polymer Problem Activity Card To: Y

  • Page 144 and 145:

    Protecting Polymers Organiser’s C

  • Page 146 and 147:

    Protecting Polymers Activity Card Y

  • Page 148 and 149:

    ACING ROCKETS Racing Rockets Organi

  • Page 150:

    Keywords • Aerodynamics • Fligh

  • Page 153 and 154:

    Discuss Are all rockets the same sh

  • Page 155 and 156:

    What to do 1. Read the ACTIVITY CAR

  • Page 158 and 159:

    RECYCLE REUSE Recycle Reuse Activit

  • Page 160 and 161:

    Spinning Solutions Organiser’s Ca

  • Page 162 and 163:

    Spinning Solutions Activity Card Ri

  • Page 164 and 165:

    Super Spinners Organiser’s Card A

  • Page 166:

    SUPER SPINNERS Take it further In t

  • Page 169 and 170:

    Getting started SUPER SPINNERS You

  • Page 171 and 172:

    Things to think about Many of the p

  • Page 173 and 174:

    Getting started Here is what Frank

  • Page 176 and 177:

    Testing and Comparing Tea Organiser

  • Page 178 and 179:

    Testing and Comparing Tea Activity

  • Page 180 and 181:

    Tomato Sauce Organiser’s Card TOM

  • Page 182:

    Keywords • Sauce • Viscosity SA

  • Page 185 and 186:

    Discuss TOMATO SAUCE How thick do y

  • Page 187 and 188:

    Things to think about Some trees wi

  • Page 189 and 190:

    Getting started Some fellow investi

  • Page 191 and 192:

    What to do 1. Read the ACTIVITY CAR

  • Page 194 and 195:

    TUMBLING TOAST Tumbling Toast TUMBL

  • Page 196 and 197:

    Under Your Feet Organiser’s Card

  • Page 198:

    Take it further There is a wide ran

  • Page 201 and 202:

    Getting started Cut a big foot shap

  • Page 203 and 204:

    Things to think about Scientists ar

  • Page 205 and 206:

    Getting started You could start by

  • Page 208 and 209:

    Windy Ways Organiser’s Card About

  • Page 210 and 211:

    Windy ways Activity Card NEWS NEWS

  • Page 212 and 213:

    Worm Charming Organiser’s Card Ab

  • Page 214:

    Keywords • Nature • Vibration

  • Page 217 and 218:

    WORM CHARMING Getting started Make

  • Page 219 and 220:

    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.


Back to top

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.


Back to top

Managed by:

Supported by:

British Science Association

Wellcome Wolfson Building,
165 Queen's Gate
London
SW7 5HD

© 2018 British Science Association