CREST Star early years
A collection of fun and engaging challenges, developed to encourage and support young children who are at the beginning of their STEM journey.
The Neon quality mark shows this activity has been reviewed and meets Neon's quality standards.
Overview
These engaging, hands-on STEM challenges allow young children to explore everyday problems using science.
Every CREST Star for early years activity gives children the chance to explore a question or an idea and develop their own hands-on, practical investigation. They are encouraged to think about how to test their ideas, as well as how to record their results and share their findings. The activities are designed to promote the skills needed for independent working, decision making, discussion and communication from a young age.
Each activity takes between 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete. It comes with an organiser and activity card, as well as a set of accompanying slides for the classroom, with colourful visuals to introduce the challenge and support children’s understanding. Educator demo videos are also available, providing top tips and pointers for running the investigations.
Cost
The resources are free to use and download from the CREST online library.
Children who complete at least 6 activities can earn a Star CREST Award, receiving a certificate to celebrate their achievement. Some settings are eligible for funded Awards through grants or voucher codes. All other UK schools can receive theirs for a small cost, from £1 per pupil.
Details
- School subject
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- Technology/computing
- Curriculum links
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- England primary science curriculum: Animals, including humans
- England primary science curriculum: Earth and space
- Scotland primary science curriculum: Sciences
- Northern Ireland primary science curriculum: Science and technology
- Wales primary science curriculum : The world around us
- Biology: Structure and function of living organisms
- Engineering
- Physics
- Physics: Motion and forces
- Sciences - Planet earth: Biodiversity and interdependence
- Technologies - Craft, design, engineering and graphics: Application of engineering
- Sciences - Forces, electricity and waves
- Sciences - Forces, electricity and waves: Forces
- Biology
- Design thinking and engineering: Engineering
- Physics: Forces
- Sciences - Organisms and health: Interdependence of plants and animals
- Technology & design - Manufacturing
- Sciences - Forces and energy: Sound and light
- Sciences - Forces and energy: Forces and energy transfer
- Technology & design - Design
- Group size
- Small groups, Whole class
- Participation level
- Hands-on
- Duration
- Up to an hour
- Cost
- Free
- Location
- Online
Learning outcomes
- Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
- Attainment and progress
- Develop engineering employability skills
Frameworks
EqualEx
- Introduce and Inspire
Essential skills
The essential skills every young person needs to succeed in education and their future career. Find out more at the Skills Builder Partnership. This experience builds the following skills:
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Enrichment framework
- 5 - An accessible and engagement enrichment offer
- 7 - An outcomes-focused enrichment offer
