Low-resource or low equipment sharing resources


The resources on this page have been selected to support educators in finding CREST project ideas that require little equipment, can be run outside of a lab or at home, and use equipment that doesn’t require much sharing.

Find out more about the different CREST Award levels here: CREST Awards.

At primary level, our curated home learning packs don’t require many resources so they’re perfect to use either in the classroom or at home. For Primary teachers who have CLEAPSS access, we recommend this piece on doing Practical activities within your bubble.

At secondary level, each project brief has an overall challenge, ideas for getting started and a list of resources you might need. Read the health and safety section carefully before you begin. Young people should create a plan for their project and a risk assessment before they begin any practical activity. You can use the CLEAPSS student safety sheets as well as the rest of the CLEAPSS website to help them.

If you are looking for further advice on how to get started with CREST, visit our help centre and check out our FAQs.

If you are looking for ideas for running CREST at home, many of the below resources are suitable, and you can still access our Star and SuperStar Home Learning packs below. If you need further support, check out the CREST at home section of the Help Centre.


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5 years ago

The perfect cup of tea

Investigate a range of methods for making tea and devise an experiment to make the perfect cup of tea for you. This resource is published under an Attribution - non-commercial - no derivatives 4.0 International creative commons licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). For more information visit our Terms and Conditions (www.crestawards.org/terms-and-conditions).

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Page 1 of 2 The perfect cup of tea Most people know how to make a cup of tea. But not everyone makes it the same way. In this project, you can carry out some experiments to work out how to make the perfect cup of tea for you. Then you’ll write a standard procedure (a set of really detailed instructions) so that other people can make tea just how you like it. Getting Started Setting up some experiments: Any results will depend on your own personal taste. But you can still carry out some fair tests to decide how you like your tea best. All the things listed above are variables. If you keep them all the same, but change one, you can work out what you prefer. For example make three cups of tea keeping all these things the same: The amount of water The type and amount of milk and whether you put it in before or after the water. The same number and type of tea bag and the length of time you leave it in the cup. Use three different temperatures of water (for example, one cup with 50 oC, one with 75 oC and one with 100 oC). By tasting each cup, you can decide which temperature of water to use for your perfect cup of tea. Do lots more experiments, but keep different variables the same, and change others. After each experiment, you should write down your preference. Instructions on how to make the perfect cuppa: Now you’ve decided on all your personal variables you can write a standard procedure. This is a set of really detailed instructions (a bit like a recipe) so people can make tea exactly how you want them to. Click to edit project description Things to think about How much water should you use and how hot should it be? How much tea should you use? Will you use tea bags, or loose tea? How much milk will you use, and will you put it in before or after the water? What sort of milk will you use: full fat, semi-skimmed or skimmed? How long should you leave the tea bag (or tea leaves) in the cup? Do you want sugar? How much? Useful Resources Go to a local supermarket and find a variety of teas. Try boiling bottled and tap water to see if there's a difference.

Challenges for ages 5-11


These challenges take about an hour each. Once you have completed eight of them you can get a CREST SuperStar Award. Start by downloading the Passport. Children can use this to record each activity they complete.

Our curated packs for home learning require very little equipment or resources, so are ideal now that you are back in the classroom. They also add flexibility as students can finish their Star or SuperStar Award at home, if needed.

Each challenge has an organiser card and an activity card. All the instructions to set up the activity are in the organiser card. Read the 'watch out' section carefully before you begin. Children can use the activity card or you can read it through together.

Find out more about Star and SuperStar levels here.


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Projects for ages 11-18


Each of these projects take between ten and thirty hours to complete. The project briefs have an overall challenge, ideas for getting started and a list of resources students might need. Before they begin, students should read the health and safety section carefully. Once students have completed their projects, they can get a CREST Discovery, Bronze, Silver or Gold Award. The amount of time spent on the project and how well they met the CREST criteria determines the level students will be awarded.

Start by downloading the relevant Workbook or Profile Form below. Young people can use these to help them complete their project and record their progress.

Young people should create a plan for their project and a risk assessment before they begin any practical activity, which should be checked by a teacher. You can use the CLEAPSS student safety sheets as well as the rest of the CLEAPSS website to help them.

For Bronze projects, once a student has completed their project, you can sign up to assess it and order their personalised certificate here. Bronze assessment is incredibly easy and can also be adapted for at-home learning if needed due to unexpected lockdowns, meaning parents can always assess when teachers cannot. Check out how to assess a Bronze project here

For Silver and Gold projects student work will need to be submitted online and will be assessed by a CREST assessor. Learn more about assessment for Silver Awards here

Find out more about Bronze level here.

Find out more about Silver level here.

Find out more about Gold level here.


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