2. STEM learning programme

Resources

Using real-life examples from along our waterways and developed with support from the Rolls-Royce Graduate Scheme, our exciting activities below will bring STEM to life in your classroom.

All our activities include a classroom presentation and an activity pack. The activity pack contains practical session guidance, curriculum links and extension activities.

Boat Plans and Elevations

Presentation

Download our boat plans and elevations presentation to understand boat design features.

Activity pack

Use our activity sheet to do our isometric drawings task.

Water Pollution

Presentation

Learn what happens when pollution gets in our waterways and the impact on waterway ecosystems.

Activity pack

Understand that the types of macroinvertebrates found in water can be an indication of water quality.

Gears

Presentation

Understand how mechanisms can make work easier and the places we use them in.

Activity pack

Assemble a lock paddle gear system to get a practical understanding of gears seen on locks.

Eutrophication

Presentation

Understand that canals and rivers are vulnerable to external threats such as eutrophication.

Activity pack

Explore how human and physical processes can impact local environments and ecosystems.

Boat lift

Anderton Boat Lift

Presentation

Download our presentation and learn more about the hydraulics used behind boat lifts.
Anderton Boat Lift

Activity pack

Teachers can download our activity pack for their lessons on boat lifts.

Canal crane

Presentation

Learn about gears and the mechanisms involved in cranes

Old photo of worker using a canal crane

Activity pack

Teachers can download our canal crane activity pack to use for their lessons

Canal maintenance

Worker in high visibility using hammer

Presentation

Download our presentation to understand the importance of good quality water
Canal maintenance

Activity pack

These practical activities help explain the forces that cause banks to erode, and the impact of erosion and human activities on water quality

Gauging rod

Canal & River Trust

Presentation

Download our presentation to understand how gauging rods were used
Moored boats

Activity pack

In this pack, pupils use gauging rods to see how Archimedes’ principle of upthrust was applied to life on the canal networks

Lock design

Male and female volunteers working on lock gates

Presentation

Download our presentation to learn and apply the concept of water pressure to the challenges of designing a canal lock
A lock

Activity pack

In this pack students will identify with the concepts of forces and relate them to real life engineering design examples, focusing on canals

Classroom Case Studies

For additional resources linked to real life engineering works, visit our classroom case studies page.

Last date edited: 7 April 2022