Contents Activity Page

Contents Activity Page Click the titles to watch the demonstration videos Bridge blunder 5 Bumblebee mystery 9 Crafty rafts 16 Fantastic fingerprints 20 Investigating ink 24 Racing rockets 28 Super spinners 33 Tumbling toast 39 SuperStar Passport 44 4

Bridge Blunder Organiser’s Card About the activity This activity is designed to get children thinking about weights, forces and measures. Children are set the challenge of helping Star Spans, a design company, fix their bridge and stop it swaying. Through this activity you will support your group to: • Build different models of bridges. • Test their different models to see which can hold the most weight and why. • Record and share their results. Kit list •A4 paper – 12 sheets per team (two for initial exploration, five for their first trial, five for the final bridge). Have a few pieces in reserve. Scrap paper is fine. •Sellotape – you should restrict this to a short strip per group. Sellotape is only for securing things, not for wrapping round the paper. •10 and 100 gram masses, coins, blocks or other equipment to act as ‘weights’ – bridges can support a surprisingly large mass. •Play blocks or similar to create the 20 cm gap for the bridge – or gap between chair and tables. • Pictures of bridges (optional). What to do 1. Introduce the activity using the story of Star Spans. You may want to show the children some pictures of different shaped bridges. 2. Give out activity cards and equipment to the children. 3. Explain that they will be using the equipment provided to test the best design for a bridge. Give the children a little time to talk together and to try making strong shapes using single sheets of paper. They can fold or cut the paper if they wish. 4. Encourage children to discuss their ideas and how to carry out their investigations. Prompt questions: • How many different kinds of bridge do you know? • Are some shapes stronger than others? • How will they make sure their test is fair? • How will they record their results? 5