‘Like winning the lottery!’: CREST practical kit boxes

CREST SuperStar projects are fun, practical and engaging activities aimed at pupils aged 7-11, or those working at this level. Flexible and student-led, they give children the opportunity to carry out their own hands-on investigations linked to real life scenarios. We know that the chance to take part in this kind of project work is powerful for young people, but there are numerous barriers that can prevent educators from running such activities. Time, resources and confidence are just some of the things that can get in the way – at The British Science Association we want to change this! 

In 2022-23, we ran a pilot project in Scotland, funded by the NCR Foundation, to design and test a solution to overcome the barriers to teachers delivering practical STEM activities in primary school classes. As a result, the CREST SuperStar kit box was born!  

Our kit boxes provide all the necessary equipment and resources to carry out up to eight CREST activities, as well as certificates to reward pupils and recognise their achievement. The activities are taken from our full SuperStar challenge collection, which is free to access and download from our online resource library: https://primarylibrary.crestawards.org/#SuperStar  

Our evaluation of the pilot confirmed that the kit boxes were just what educators needed and 100% of participating teachers said they would recommend CREST to other schools. 

“Having the boxes there – it’s just an absolute winner. I’ve got the resources, I’ve got the activities, I’ve got the questions – it’s kind of good to go!” 

In our session, we were joined by Gemma Robson from Wallsend Jubilee Primary School in North Tyneside. Gemma explained that receiving a CREST kit box allowed her school to run a free STEM club, with the help of GCSE students from a local secondary school. This was really popular with pupils, helping to raise the profile of science and giving children who might not normally access an extra-curricular club a chance to take part.  

Working with our delivery partner, Curiosity Box, we hope to offer more kit boxes to schools next academic year. We also now have a new Star kit box aimed at younger children, currently in its pilot phase! We’re always looking for funders who would like to sponsor kit boxes, allowing more teachers and children to enjoy practical STEM learning.  

To be in with a chance of getting your hands on a CREST kit box, join our Engage Teacher Network, for schools in challenging circumstances. The Engage Network also provides access to grants, peer support and other benefits: https://www.crestawards.org/engage.