Emily Hunt - 15-Minute STEM: Quick, creative science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities for 5-11 year-olds

15-Minute STEM is brilliant! It is packed full of fun and exciting science- and engineering-based activities that will engage and inspire children, helping them to develop enquiring minds through practical application. With its clear illustrations and step-by-step instructions, the book is great for parents to use with children at home as well as for teachers who want to introduce more practical activities in the classroom. Fantastic!

Lynda Mann, Head of Education Programmes, Royal Academy of Engineering

I love this book! 15-Minute STEM is crammed full of engaging practical ideas that are quick to do yet also inspire longer-term engagement. Its equally suitable for teachers and parents definitely one of the best resources I have read in a long while.

Professor Bill Lucas, co-author of Educating Ruby and Thinking Like an Engineer

15-Minute STEM is full of activities that can be used to enhance current learning and provide hooks to get children thinking about new concepts. The tasks excite both adults and children alike, and naturally lead learners to explore and discuss ideas at their own pace.

A real treasure trove of creative learning opportunities that you can dip into time and time again.

Gilly Tyree-Milner, Forest School/Outdoor/Nurture Lead Practitioner, Worsbrough Common Primary School

Complete with easy-to-use instructions, 15-Minute STEM offers an impressive collection of imaginative, interactive activities which encourage children to question, deduce and hypothesise as they learn. The books format is simple to follow, with photos provided to illustrate a range of engaging tasks, and each activity is introduced with a question that stimulates childrens interest and curiosity in STEM.

Our pupils absolutely love it!

Jo Lancett, Head Teacher, Darton Primary School

15-Minute STEM is a fantastic resource to get children of all abilities hands on with STEM, both in school and at home. The activities are easy to comprehend, are effective in quickly conveying complex concepts and can be done with accessible materials. I especially like how the learning helps develop a growth mindset and relates to real-life jobs and I believe that this can inspire the scientists of the future.

Joanne Fitton, environmental scientist and parent governor

15-Minute STEM is an inviting, teacher-friendly resource packed full of tried-and-tested activities to help develop childrens STEM skills, and is well suited to the teacher who is less experienced in teaching STEM subjects.

Each activity is explained clearly and concisely, and the eye-catching icons tagged on to the activities make it easy to prepare the ideal learning environment for each task. The links to the variety of related jobs also provide children with a useful introduction to possible STEM careers.

A great resource for teachers who are taking their first steps in creating a STEM-rich classroom.

Tanya Shields, Primary STEM Lead, STEM Learning Ltd

15-Minute STEM is a fantastic handbook for anyone looking to cram STEM activities into a busy timetable. Each activity is presented using child-friendly language, along with pictures and easy-to-follow instructions, and is set out in such a way that children will be able to pick up the aim of the task quickly.

The book features dozens of STEM ideas I have never come across before, and I can instantly see how they would be applicable in any classroom either as stand-alone nuggets or as part of existing schemes of work.

STEM-sational.

Ben Connor, Teacher, St Maxentius CE Primary School

My thanks go to the many people who have made possible the creation of 15-Minute STEM. Thanks to the fantastic team at Crown House Publishing for sharing my enthusiasm for STEM education and for their guidance throughout the process.

Thanks also to Jane Hewitt for bringing the activities to life with her beautiful photographs, and to the school communities of Darton Primary and Worsbrough Common Primary who feature in those photos. The book is filled with images of excited, happy children, and this never fails to make me smile as I flick through its pages.

A final thank you goes to my family for always being there to offer a listening ear or a word of encouragement when needed, and to my husband Edmund. Time and time again I have been grateful for his scientific expertise and insight, which has helped me to develop my ideas into the finished product that you see before you today.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These disciplines have an impact that can be seen in all aspects of our lives. From construction to space exploration, from caring for our environment to the digital revolution; the demand for STEM skills is massive and is only set to grow.

STEM education is a cross-discipline approach to teaching these interrelated subjects, with problem solving at its heart. Great STEM education works through activities with real-world applications, helping children to understand how their learning is relevant and how they could use it in the future. It is an important tool in breaking down stereotypes and encouraging more children to pursue STEM careers. There is a notable under-representation of women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds in STEM careers, so it is important that all children can realise their own capabilities first-hand.

But then again, if youve picked up this book, the chances are you already know all of that. Most teachers and parents recognise STEM to be an important priority area for modern education. However, you may be looking for answers to one or all of the following questions:

How do I fit STEM education into my day?

What kind of STEM activities should I be exploring?

How can I deliver STEM education when Im not an expert myself?

Is STEM education just for the classroom?

This book is intended to reassure you that you dont need to be an expert to deliver high-quality STEM education. It contains 40 quick, easy-to-resource STEM activities for primary school teachers, and is also ideal for parents to use at home with their children.

Each activity has been tested to ensure that it can be delivered quickly. This means that with minimal preparation you can slot a 15-minute STEM activity into those spare moments in an otherwise busy day. Of course, it is up to you how much time you spend preparing the children and discussing their findings afterwards.

Many of the activities in this book can be resourced from everyday materials found at home or in the classroom, allowing you to deliver them at short notice. Phew! The You will need boxes list the resources you will need to complete each activity once. You will need a set of resources for each child or group undertaking the activity.

Thats the charm of these 15-minute activities. They can be presented independently of other learning, giving you greater flexibility to slot them in as stand-alone projects. You will find that the children naturally draw upon a range of prior knowledge to complete each activity.