Key Stage 2 at your school
For KS2, Techniquest offers a unique range of kits, challenge workshops, shows and even sessions in our portable Planetarium, Starlab, in the comfort of your classroom. Techniquest staff can rapidly transform your school hall into a Science Theatre, and they can inflate a Planetarium brimming with stars and planets in less than half an hour. Classrooms can become miniature Techniquest exhibitions or interactive workstations for hands-on science exploration.
On-line support resources accompany the outreach sessions to extend the learning experience.
For information on costs of Techniquest programmes delivered at your school please ring 029 2047 5476 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Starlab
Techniquest’s Starlab is a mobile, inflatable Planetarium that brings the night sky to your school hall. It can be set up in under thirty minutes and easily deflated to accommodate other uses of the hall during the day.
Techniquest presenters structure each Starlab session around a selection from six short videos of choice. But no Planetarium session would be complete without a star tour in which pupils identify stars, planets and constellations in the night sky!
Curriculum links: The sustainable Earth 1, 2
- Show length: 30 – 40 minutes
- Maximum class size: 30 pupils
- Maximum of 6 sessions per day
- Requires: 4.2m headroom, 7.5m x 7.5m floor space and 240v ac mains power supply.
Voyage Through the Solar System
Take a journey through the Solar System, exploring planets, moons and the star at the middle of it. What is the Sun made of? Discover the history of space exploration and find out what information we have gathered from space probes that we couldn’t have known from merely observing from Earth. How does gravity and atmosphere affect different planets? Which is the hottest, and which is the largest? How many moons are there in our solar system and how long is a day on Jupiter, or a year on Mars? Explore properties of all of the eight planets and their moons.
Shows
Invite Techniquest into to your school and transform your hall into a Science Theatre! With a variety of shows covering a wide range of topics, encourage pupils to question ideas, think independently, and stimulate an interest in Science and Maths.
Each show is designed to support the teaching of the Curriculum for Wales. Post-visit support resources, are available on Techniquest's website to extend the learning experience.
- Session length: 45 minutes
- Maximum class size: 30 pupils
- Maximum of 4 sessions per day
Exploring Forces
Pupils investigate and explore the real life applications of forces – how they help us or hinder us – in this fun, new interactive show. Explore friction, gravity, air resistance and magnetism, through the use of interactive demonstrations. Can they hit a bullseye on a dartboard? How can magnetism help us move? How does friction help in sports? Through investigations, pupils find out the answers to these questions and more.
Curriculum links: How things work
Exploring Forces Support Resources (English).pdf1.12 MB- Exploring Forces Support Resources (Welsh).pdf1.24 MB
Science Explorers
Join Asha and Billy on their round-the-world trip to explore science! Learn how to carry out experiments and predict their outcome. How do you make sure they are fair tests? What can you learn from the results? Have tea with the Queen, travel to the Brazilian rainforest, visit the Monaco Grand Prix and investigate the Island’s volcanoes. Can you impress the Queen with what you’ve learnt on your journey when you return to Buckingham Palace?
Skills - Science enquiry; Planning, developing, reflecting- Science Explorers Support Resources (English)1.76 MB
- Science Explorers Support Resources (Welsh)1.39 MB
Light Fantastic
Welcome to the light dome, where colours cascade all about you! Come in and capture your shadow, see the effects of ultra violet light and use prisms to split white light into rainbows. How does light travel? How can reflection keep you safe after dark? Consider what the world would be like without the vibrant rays of the Sun, then witness glistening mirror balls, fibre-optic fountains and stunning visual effects.
Curriculum links: How things workMaterials Magic
Why are chairs made of wood, not jelly? What are smart materials and how can their extraordinary qualities be useful in emergencies, as well as everyday life? Discover amazing memory metals and how they mend broken bones. This magic show explores the different properties of solids, liquids and gases, and also demonstrates how some materials appear to resist being defined as just one of the three states of matter.
Curriculum links: The sustainable EarthMaths on the Menu
(Years 3 & 4) There are too many unhappy customers in Luigi and Maria’s Italian restaurant. The staff don’t seem to know what they are doing — the pizzas are late and cold, with the wrong toppings. Can you use maths to save the restaurant? You will need to divide dough using fractions, play pizza-topping sudoku, help calculate the oven times and add up the bills. Let’s work together to make the restaurant a success!
- Maths On The Menu Support Resources (English)1.63 MB
- Maths On The Menu Support Resources (Welsh)1.68 MB
Maths Detective
(Years 5 & 6) There has been a break-in at Hetty Hitech’s laboratory. Techniquest’s Detective needs some quick thinking deputies to help on this top secret case. Can you outsmart a criminal mastermind? Solve number sequences to get past security, work out the height and weight of the culprit, and what sort of getaway vehicle sped away from the scene. Find facts to calculate the time of the burglary and help the Detective and Inspector Klus to crack the case!
Challenge Workshops
Challenge workshops offer the excitement of Techniquest’s hands-on approach to science in your classroom, and are led by a Techniquest presenter. Each workshop begins with a number of lively demonstrations, introducing the chosen topic, and then pupils are encouraged to apply their new-found knowledge to a challenging task, which they carry out in small groups. On completion of the task, pupils regroup and discuss their findings. They are encouraged to reflect on what they have discovered through experimentation.Each challenge workshop is designed to support the teaching of the Curriculum for Wales. Post-visit resources and extended teaching information are available on Techniquest's website to extend the learning experience.
- Session length: 45 minutes
- Maximum class size: 30 pupils
- Maximum of 4 sessions per day
The Body Inside Out
Can you catch a breath and measure it? How long is your gut, and why do babies have more bones than adults? Explore the organs in our amazing bodies and learn how to keep them healthy. Examine the heart, lungs, the digestive system and the brain. See the landscapes of your skin live on a video microscope and learn why you cannot always believe your eyes!
Curriculum links: How things workSound Sensations
Follow the journey of sound as it passes through materials and the air into your delicate inner ear. Explore how sound travels – can a tuning fork vibrate through water? What would a ringing alarm clock sound like in a vacuum? Investigate how guitar strings produce both high and low notes and how the body of the guitar amplifies sounds. See how using different frequencies can even shift sand into intricate patterns!
- Sound Sensations Challenge Support Resources (English)1.27 MB
- Sound Sensations Challenge Support Resources (Welsh)1.05 MB
Mars Mission Madness
A fragile spacecraft must land safely on Mars, without any equipment getting damaged. Can you help Techniquest design a Mars Lander suitable for the job? Team work is key. What do you already know about the Red Planet and how will that affect the design? What do Mars Landers that have already been used look like, and can you find any inspiration here on Earth to protect kit as delicate as an egg shell when the Lander is dropped onto the rusty surface of Mars?
Curriculum links: How things work- Mars Mission Madness Support Resources (English)1.18 MB
- Mars Mission Madness Support Resources (Welsh)1.23 MB
Bridge Builder
The bridge between an island lighthouse and the mainland has collapsed. Can you design and build a new bridge to reach the lighthouse? Learn about different types of bridges and the materials used to make them. What forces constantly act on them how can you make sure they are really strong? Work in groups using a range of materials to make the strongest bridge so as to withstand another storm!
Curriculum links: How things work- Bridge Builder Challenge Support Resources (English)1 MB
- Bridge Builder Challenge Support Resources (Welsh)1.26 MB
Crime Scene Detective
A burglary has taken place at the home of the wealthy Lord of Llandaff. An antique teddy bear that has been in his family for generations has been stolen. There are five suspects in this case and one of them is the burglar. Work through the five different evidence stations in teams, exploring fingerprints, footprints, fibres, ink chromatography and UV light, in an attempt to find the thief!
Formerly Whodunnit, this workshop has been revised and updated to support the new KS2 Curriculum for Wales.
- Crime Scene Detectives Support Resources (English)1.22 MB
- Crime Scene Detectives Support Resources (Welsh)1.26 MB
Solar Power
Enough sunlight falls on the Earth in one hour to cover all our energy needs for one year! Can you harness the power of light? What sorts of gadgets are already powered by solar power and what are the advantages and difficulties of relying on this type of energy? Work in teams to make a solar powered circuit and explore the potential of solar-energy.
Curriculum links: The sustainable Earth; Interdependence of organism: 7- Solar Power Challenge Support Resources (English)1.14 MB
- Solar Power Challenge Support Resources (Welsh)1.18 MB
Tunnels and Turbines
We live in the windiest country in Europe, so how can we capture the power of wind to create electricity? How many wind farms are there in Wales and how do they create power? Work in teams to investigate aerodynamics in a turbine. Use your knowledge of this renewable energy resource to harness the powerful force of the wind and create a model that will hover for the longest in a stream of air to beat the other teams.
Curriculum links: The sustainable Earth; Interdependence of organismGas Detective
Investigate how the remains of small plants, creatures and even dinosaurs make the gas used to heat your dinner! Follow the journey of natural gases from when they were produced over millions of years and discover how they are extracted from the Earth. Learn about real Gas Detectives. Can you train your nose to smell even the faintest scent of gas? Design your own pop-gun, exploring the properties of pressurised gases. You can even make your own carbon dioxide fire extinguisher!
Curriculum links: The sustainable EarthSponsored by Wales and West Utilities.
Bright Sparks
Where does current electricity come from, and what is static electricity? Watch a lightning bolt in your classroom and become part of a human circuit! Explore how we use electricity every day – what are electrical conductors and insulators, and what are the different sources for electricity? Can you build a simple circuit and work out how to add a switch into a circuit?
N.B. Teachers must inform our bookings staff if an individual with the class has a heart pacemaker or cochlear implant.
Curriculum links: How things workSponsored by Western Power Distribution.
Kits
Bring a Techniquest exhibition to your classroom! Techniquest kits each consist of 11 table top activities that are perfect for recreating the Techniquest experience at your school. You can either hire a kit for 1-4 day(s) or a day of presenter-led sessions. There are a variety of Maths and Science kits available, and each consists of 11 separate table-top activities, making it easy to divide them between classes or set up together as a miniature Techniquest exhibition. They are specially designed to encourage enquiry and can be used to introduce new topics or to reinforce prior learning.Each kit is accompanied by extensive resource materials and support notes for teachers. This information is available on the Techniquest website and will also be delivered with the kit as a bilingual hard-copy for use in class. The resource materials are designed to guide the teacher through a host of learning initiatives.
The kits are easy to transport from school to school, and Techniquest encourages schools to work together to share the resources or to provide access to parents and the wider community. Kits will be delivered to your school, generally on the afternoon before the date of hire, and picked up after school hours on the last day of hire.
Details for hired kits (unstaffed):
- Kits are teacher-led; support materials are provided
- Maximum class size: 30
- Rental time: 1 – 4 days.
Details for presenter-led kit sessions:
- Session length: 45 minutes
- Maximum class size: 30 pupils
- Maximum of 4 sessions per day
Maths 1 or Maths 2
Can you beat your classmates at 3D noughts and crosses? Multiply birthday candles using a mirror, solve domino and match stick problems and pack a box with different-shaped parcels. Can you move the Towers of Brahma and Hanoi? Multiply numbers, build pyramids and solve the Pythagoras Puzzle of 2D shapes, allowing you to explore practical maths through fun and teamwork.
Curriculum links: Numbers, shape, space and measures, and handling dataForces
Set up an array of exhibits exploring spinning magnets, spring forces and wind turbines. Can you make a structure that is earthquake proof? Or an arch bridge from five wooden blocks? How can you make a windmill spin faster and send a message in a tube of air? Investigate forces, while developing teamwork, and communication and number skills.
Curriculum links: Physical processesMaterials
Race bubbles, investigate buoyancy and become a rock detective! Can you identify the rocks with crystals in them? Or work out which material is the best electrical conductor? Use a video microscope to investigate your clothes, skin and hair close-up. Work in teams to discover more about materials, including making a swirling vortex, with these hands-on games.
Curriculum links: Materials and their propertiesLight and Sound
Can you see around a corner using a series of mirrors? Mix coloured light and change the shape of a shadow. Investigate how your voice works and the differences between high and low notes. How does sound travel and could you hear more if you could move your ears? Solving challenges in teams pupils can investigate and understand more about light and sound.
