11-19 Advent Calendar-revealed 2023

Welcome to the Secondary (11-19) Advent Calendar 

Each day a new door will be available for you to open, it will contain a little gift for you, it might be a digital resource, a free CPD course, a short video, competition or an opportunity for you or your school/class. 

You will need to be a member of the STEM Community to enter any competitions and join any discussions, scroll to the top of the page to join!

SC_Logo_Christmas_tree
How do sheep say Merry Christmas to each other? Fleece Navidad.

Enter our fabulous Christmas Wreath and Chemist-Tree Competition! 
Create a wreath from foraged materials (man made or natural) or create an awesome chemist-tree from glassware or other lab equipment/display material and submit it to the discussion thread here:https://community.stem.org.uk/discussion/chemist-tree-and-wreath-competition-2023
What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.

Would you like free access to all GCSEPod's STEM content for the full academic year?

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FREE ACCESS TO ALL STEM SUBJECTS ON GCSEPod


Why are my jokes good for the environment?
They are all recycled! 

 

Like and share one of these social media posts for a chance to win one of 10 STEM Community notepads
Prize draw 8th Dec 2023

What do you call Santa when he stops moving? Santa Pause.

STEM COMMUNITY ADVENT CALENDAR EXCLUSIVE
20% OFF CPD COURSE BOOKINGS FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS

USE DISCOUNT CODE STEMADVENT20

(DISCOUNT CODE VALID UNTIL 23:59 ON 5TH DECEMBER)
Why was the Turkey the only part of the meal in a popgroup? Because he was the only one with drumsticks

Our friends at Discover Materials invite you to a live, online event that can be streamed live into classrooms in the run up to the Winter break.

Check out the schedule here: https://bit.ly/3N9HKCy
Event date 12th Dec - posted today to allow time to plan!
:-D 
What goes “Oh, Oh, Oh”? Santa walking backwards!

The GCHQ Christmas Challenge 2023

The Challenge comes in the form of a Christmas card, sent by GCHQ Director, Anne Keast-Butler, to partners around the world. The card contains a series of brainteasers, designed by GCHQ's own puzzle volunteers, specifically for 11 to 18-year-olds.

What do Santa’s little helpers learn at school? The elf-abet!

Rudolph the Reindeer Christmas decoration with push switch on/off


This resource describes how to make a Rudolph christmas decoration using a PCB LED that sits under the fabric and lights up when you hold the switch hidden in his cheek. The decoration is made out of felt fabric and is lightly stuffed to give a 3D effect.

https://bit.ly/49ZkXDm

What chart topper is a favourite of the 3 wise men?  Myrrh-der on the dance floor

Snowman challenge
In this Core Maths resource students are given the open-ended task of designing a snowman. Students are given some basic information about the density of different types of snow and some relevant formulae, and are asked to design a ‘life-sized’ snowman
What do you get if you cross Santa with a duck? A Christmas Quacker!

Take the TDI Challenge! 

The Technology Design and Innovation (TDI) Challenge - this competition is FREE
School and college students showcase their project work to an industry that relies upon the creativity and innovation of its designers and engineers. 
Who is Santa's favourite singer? Elf-is Presley
Magic Gas Demonstration

In this kitchen chemistry demonstration we demonstrate how you can produce carbon dioxide at home in a glass and use this to extinguish a candle. 

Why wouldn't the cat climb the Christmas tree? It was afraid of the bark.
6 weeks of STEM Clubs!

This fantastic resource from our frinds at All About STEM features six weeks of STEM Clubs activities for you and your team! 

How do you know when Santa's in the room? You can sense his presents.

Making STAR trails

Produced by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, this booklet shows how to demonstrate star trails in a classroom environment using a ‘lazy susan’ spinning table and video editing software. 

What do you sing at a snowman's birthday party? Freeze a jolly good fellow!

Connect your students with scientists

Connect your students with a diverse range of scientists from different specialisms and backgrounds with I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here.

What do snowmen have for breakfast? Snowflakes.

What determines the number of spines on a holly leaf?
Produced by SAPS, this activity enables students to: develop knowledge and understanding of structural defence mechanisms in plants, use problem solving skills and demonstrate the processing of information
Why are Christmas trees bad at knitting? Because they always drop their needles.

Inspiring the next generation - from Tech She Can
Hear from a range of inspirational young women who work in technology as they talk about what they do in their roles, how they got into their jobs and what they love most about what they do.  

https://bit.ly/3T2uSSO

Why didn’t the software engineer buy Christmas presents? She’d used up all her cache.


Jelly Liquidiser

In this Christmas table experiment we demonstrate why pineapple should not be added to jelly due to the action of an enzyme in the fruit.

How many letters are there in the alphabet at Christmas? 25 (no-el).

Explore the concept of freeze thaw weathering. 
Check out this great activity from our friends at the Institition of Civil Engineers

This problem affects anywhere on a structure that water can collect and freeze – from roads to
bridges and towers

What does a snowman do with a bag of carrots? Pick his nose.

STEM COMMUNITY ADVENT CALENDAR EXCLUSIVE
20% OFF CPD COURSE BOOKING UNITIL THE END OF TERM (22nd DEC)

USE DISCOUNT CODE STEMADVENT20

(DISCOUNT CODE VALID UNTIL 23:59 ON 22nd DECEMBER)
Where do snowmen go to dance? A snowball.

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Give your learners instant, personalised, examiner-quality feedback. Even on extended responses.

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Simply mention STEM Community Advent during registration.
What’s the absolute best Christmas present? A broken drum — you can’t beat it!

Check out this awesome lesson on nuclear fission and fusion including access to the 3DS platform and lesson plan from our friends at Dassault Systemes using Solidworks!
Solidworks app here: https://bit.ly/3Hazm2F
Lesson plan and teacher resources here: 
Which side of a turkey has the most feathers? The outside.

Make a snow globe!
In this resource from the IET, pupils learn about materials, density and waterproofing, whilst creating their own Christmas snow globes from empty jam jars and biodegradable glitter. The resources provided include full lesson guidance and a presentation.
Why don't polar bears eat penguins?  They can't get the wrappers off
Join the SAMHE project! Get a FREE air quality monitior for your school

The chance to be part of something bigger!
Taking part in SAMHE will give pupils the opportunity to contribute to genuine scientific research, working together with scientists and thousands of other school children. 

https://bit.ly/47zkMgt


What is the weather going to be like this Christmas?  Looks like rein-deer
Explore climate issues with ESA Climate Detectives
ESERO-UK invites teachers and teams of students to team up and join the ESA Climate Detectives and Climate Detectives Kids school projects. Registration is open from 22 September 2023.
Why is Santa no longer climbing down sooty chimneys?
He’s reducing his carbon footprints.

Try these Christmas dinner table demonstrations
In this National STEM Learning Centre and Network video, we demonstrate four experiments, with the theme of Christmas.