Resources by Practical Action

Global project ideas

Global project ideas are based around Practical Action’s work, which uses science and technology to address global issues such as energy, water and food. They give students a real insight into how science and technology can be used to tackle challenges faced by communities in the developing world, and how they can...

Global Project Ideas

Global project ideas provide an excellent starting point for pupils wanting to do a project based on Global issues, whether as part of the CREST Awards Scheme;  as an extended project for their Duke of Edinburgh Award or A level, or as part of the Children’s University Passport.

Each of the five Global...

Growing food - concept cartoon

This Concept Cartoon on food was produced by Millgate House Education and Practical Action. This cartoon help students explore environmental issues around growing and importing food.

Concept Cartoons are quick, simple and effective. They are designed to intrigue, provoke discussion and stimulate thinking....

Iodine Initiative - Secondary Global Upd8

In this activity students discover how a Tanzanian initiative reduced iodine deficiency diseases, and look at lessons the UK can learn from the example of this African nation. According to recent reports, up to 70% of British young people do not take in enough iodine. Iodine deficiency causes goiter and brain...

Less is more!

This resource gets students to look at how a product could be redesigned to require less packaging. Companies are being encouraged to develop ‘environmentally-smart’ retail packaging design. In this activity, students are challenged to redesign a familiar product so that it has less (and more sustainable) packaging...

Let's negotiate

From Practical Action, this resource encourages students to look at how design specifications are balanced when developing new products.

Line ups

In this activity students literally form a line to demonstrate their understanding of  the environmental, economic and social impact of everyday products, then discuss and debate.  The activity helps them understand the impact of everyday products throughout their life cycle from manufacturing to disposal.

Manufacturing - technical briefs

These technical briefs focus on manufacturing on a small-scale. It is an important livelihood for many people in the developing world and businesses are usually run by a family or a small group within the same community.

Technical briefs are documents produced by Practical Action which are freely available...

Marvellous Microbes!

This film shows how food waste in Bangladesh is used to provide a source of energy. The conditions needed for anaerobic digestion, including temperature, pH, and oxygen levels. The biogas produced is used as a fuel for cooking and the digested food is used as a fertilizer.

Meal deal

In this resource students explore the science of combustion in the context of fuel-burning stoves from around the world. They investigate the energy output from a variety of fuels covering calorific values, simple combustion chemistry, stove efficiency and chimney design. The unit ends with a design task requiring...