See what's inside an Explore SuperStar Kit Box
Eligible schools can apply to receive an Explore SuperStar Kit Box for use in British Science Week 2027. Use this page to see what's inside, before you apply.
The kit boxes are part of a wider six-year programme to engage the public with research and innovation across the UK. Funded by UKRI and delivered by the British Science Association, this new initiative will celebrate the full breadth of UK research and innovation and the contribution it makes to improving lives and livelihoods.
What is an Explore SuperStar Kit Box?
The Explore SuperStar Kit Box is a one-stop solution for primary school educators to deliver relatable practical science activities that support students (aged 7-11 or working at that level) to develop the skills that underpin research and innovation.
Inside there are eight hands-on enquiry-led CREST SuperStar challenges with cross-curricular links and a STEM Person of the Week toolkit to introduce STEM role models. CREST is the British Science Association’s education programme that provides flexible and impactful activities and projects that engage and reward young people.
What's in the Explore SuperStar Kit Box?
'Box' doesn't do the Explore SuperStar Kit Box justice - it is more of a treasure chest!
Contained within an outer box measuring 33 x 33 x 51 cm, the kit box has 4 inner compartments with the equipment and printed materials for eight CREST challenges and STEM Person of the Week toolkit. See what's inside:
Welcome Letter
The welcome letter will introduce you to contents of the Kit Box with tips on using - and re-using - the equipment.
CREST Organiser and Activity Cards
For each of the eight CREST challenges in the Explore Star Kit Box, there are printed Organiser Cards (for the teacher) and Activity Cards (for the learner) provided.
For a preview, why not download all of the Organiser Cards, Activity Cards, and slides further down this page or from the CREST Resource Library?
Equipment
For each of the eight CREST SuperStar challenges, we've included the essential equipment you require to run the activity with your learners.
You may still need basic classroom materials like pencils and paper, but we've thought of everything else to make it simple for you to pick-up-and-run with it.
CREST Passports and stickers
For learners to track their progress, there are CREST Passports and stickers.
There are 60 printed copies of the Passport, and 20 sheets of stickers in the box.
CREST Award Certificates
To celebrate your students' accomplishment (once they complete a minimum of six of the challenges), there are 60 pre-printed CREST SuperStar certificates in the box.
STEM Person of the Week toolkit
STEM Person of the Week is an award winning STEM engagement activity that’s been shown to reduce children’s stereotypes of scientists by providing counter-stereotypical character attributes through a set of diverse STEM role models.
Included in the box are 5 printed posters of STEM role models for you to discuss with students, as well as a complementary activity for your learners to explore what characteristics they have in common with the STEM workers.
Welcome Letter
The welcome letter will introduce you to contents of the Kit Box with tips on using - and re-using - the equipment.
CREST Organiser and Activity Cards
For each of the eight CREST challenges in the Explore Star Kit Box, there are printed Organiser Cards (for the teacher) and Activity Cards (for the learner) provided.
For a preview, why not download all of the Organiser Cards, Activity Cards, and slides further down this page or from the CREST Resource Library?
Equipment
For each of the eight CREST SuperStar challenges, we've included the essential equipment you require to run the activity with your learners.
You may still need basic classroom materials like pencils and paper, but we've thought of everything else to make it simple for you to pick-up-and-run with it.
CREST Passports and stickers
For learners to track their progress, there are CREST Passports and stickers.
There are 60 printed copies of the Passport, and 20 sheets of stickers in the box.
CREST Award Certificates
To celebrate your students' accomplishment (once they complete a minimum of six of the challenges), there are 60 pre-printed CREST SuperStar certificates in the box.
STEM Person of the Week toolkit
STEM Person of the Week is an award winning STEM engagement activity that’s been shown to reduce children’s stereotypes of scientists by providing counter-stereotypical character attributes through a set of diverse STEM role models.
Included in the box are 5 printed posters of STEM role models for you to discuss with students, as well as a complementary activity for your learners to explore what characteristics they have in common with the STEM workers.
This is an example of the kit box bundle that successful applicants will receive. The actual box may vary slightly in colour or branding, but the contents and overall design will be broadly similar.
Demo videos
To prepare to run the CREST challenges with your pupils, watch the teacher demo videos for tips and guidance on setting up and delivering each of the activities in your kit box.
Crafty Rafts
Get children designing and making a raft that floats. They will conduct a fair test of designs and record and present their results.
Fantastic Fingerprints
Get children thinking about fingerprints. They will collect and compare fingerprints, and present their findings.
Investigating Ink
Get children thinking about how to identify different inks using chromatography. They will experiment with different types of ink pens and share their evidence-based conclusions.
Playground Games
Get children thinking about disabilities and creating games that are accessible and inclusive. They will learn about the effects of limited vision and design games that cater for the needs of different players.
Super Spinners
Get children thinking about helicopter blades. They will experiment with paper spinners and share their ideas with the group.
Under Your Feet
Get children thinking about living things and the natural world around them. They will explore outdoors and present their findings in a creative and visual way.
Warm or Cold
Get children thinking about warm and cold-blooded creatures. They will carry out an investigation, compare warm and cold-blooded theories and design a dinosaur fact sheet.
Windy Ways
Get children thinking about wind patterns. They will use bubbles to investigate wind speed and direction, recording their results.
CREST SuperStar resources
- This activity is designed to get children designing and making a raft that floats. Can they conduct a fair test to see which raft design can hold the most weight?#SuperStar#Investigate#Engineering#Floating
- This activity is designed to get children thinking about fingerprints. Can they find the best way to collect fingerprints, then compare different fingerprints and identify patterns?#SuperStar#Investigate#Crime#Forensics
- This activity is designed to get children thinking about how to identify different inks using chromatography. Can they use what they have found out to solve a mystery?#SuperStar#Investigate#Chromatography#Crime
- This activity is designed to get children thinking about disabilities and creating games that are accessible and inclusive.#SuperStar#Disabilities#Inclusion#Games
- This activity is designed to get children thinking about helicopter blades and air resistance as they investigate how different blade sizes change the way a paper spinner falls.#SuperStar#Investigate#Engineering#Helicopters
- This activity is designed to get children thinking about living things and the natural world around them. After exploring and observing outdoors, they can present their findings in a creative and visual way.#SuperStar#Investigate#Nature#Outside
- This activity is designed to get children thinking about warm and cold-blooded creatures. Children investigate the difference size makes to how quickly things cool down and use their findings to explore whether they t...#SuperStar#Investigate#Dinosaurs#Temperature
- This activity is designed to get children thinking about wind patterns. They will use bubbles to investigate wind speed and direction, recording their results.#SuperStar#Investigate#Wind#Bubbles
- Children can track their progress as they complete CREST challenges by using a SuperStar passport. Once they have completed at least six activities they can be awarded a CREST SuperStar certificate to recognise their...#SuperStar#Passport#Investigate#Discover
Ready to apply?
If the Explore SuperStar Kit Box is right for you and you'd like to apply, return to the British Science Week website to see whether your school is eligible, review the application guidelines in detail, and apply.
Explore Kit Box FAQs
Frequently-asked questions about the Explore Kit Boxes. For general information about British Science Week resources and support for schools, visit the website.
To be considered for an Explore Kit Box you must submit an application by the application deadline. For full eligibility and application information, return to the British Science Week website.
The Explore Kit Boxes are not a cash grant; there is no money paid out to schools that successfully apply for one.
An Explore Kit Box is an activity kit bundle that includes all the resources and equipment to run eight enquiry-led skill-building challenges, plus CREST Award certificates for 60 students, and there are two versions: Explore Star and Explore SuperStar.
If you seek grant funding for your school, you may be interested in Engage funding for CREST or the Curiosity Grant.
Yes. The application asks which version(s) of the box you want to apply for. Explore Star is for learners aged approximately 5-7 and Explore SuperStar for those aged 7-11 (or young people working at those levels).
If your school would like to be considered for both types of boxes, please submit only one application, which may require that you collaborate with an/others at your school to submit the combined application.
Although influenced by the demand for boxes and numbers of applications submitted, it is unlikely that a school would be awarded both an Explore Star and an Explore SuperStar box in the same academic year as we seek to support as many schools as possible with our funding.
Not this year, no. Although we recognise that secondary schools may wish to run practical activities for students working at the 7-11 year old level (or indeed as outreach with feeder schools), for this inaugural year that they are offered we will only be awarding them to primary and special schools (including alternative provision).
To be considered for an Explore Kit Box you must submit an application by the application deadline.
Should your application be successful and your school is awarded an Explore Star or Explore SuperStar Kit Box, you will be removed from the corresponding CREST Star or CREST SuperStar Kit Box waiting list(s) (as the CREST and Explore kit boxes are very similar, containing the same eight CREST challenges).
If your application is unsuccessful your place on the CREST kit box waiting list(s) will be unaffected and you will be notified when more funded CREST kit boxes are available (which will likely be the 2027/2028 academic year).
The eight CREST challenges and associated equipment in each of the Explore Kit Boxes are the same as those in the CREST Star and SuperStar Kit Boxes, although the CREST kit boxes do not include the STEM Person of the Week resources.
If your school has already received a CREST Star or CREST SuperStar Kit Box it is unlikely that an application for an Explore Kit Box would be successful, as the British Science Association seeks to support as many schools as possible with our funding.
To be considered for an Explore Kit Box you must submit an application by the application deadline. For full eligibility and application information, return to the British Science Week website.
The Explore Kit Boxes are not a cash grant; there is no money paid out to schools that successfully apply for one.
An Explore Kit Box is an activity kit bundle that includes all the resources and equipment to run eight enquiry-led skill-building challenges, plus CREST Award certificates for 60 students, and there are two versions: Explore Star and Explore SuperStar.
If you seek grant funding for your school, you may be interested in Engage funding for CREST or the Curiosity Grant.
Yes. The application asks which version(s) of the box you want to apply for. Explore Star is for learners aged approximately 5-7 and Explore SuperStar for those aged 7-11 (or young people working at those levels).
If your school would like to be considered for both types of boxes, please submit only one application, which may require that you collaborate with an/others at your school to submit the combined application.
Although influenced by the demand for boxes and numbers of applications submitted, it is unlikely that a school would be awarded both an Explore Star and an Explore SuperStar box in the same academic year as we seek to support as many schools as possible with our funding.
Not this year, no. Although we recognise that secondary schools may wish to run practical activities for students working at the 7-11 year old level (or indeed as outreach with feeder schools), for this inaugural year that they are offered we will only be awarding them to primary and special schools (including alternative provision).
To be considered for an Explore Kit Box you must submit an application by the application deadline.
Should your application be successful and your school is awarded an Explore Star or Explore SuperStar Kit Box, you will be removed from the corresponding CREST Star or CREST SuperStar Kit Box waiting list(s) (as the CREST and Explore kit boxes are very similar, containing the same eight CREST challenges).
If your application is unsuccessful your place on the CREST kit box waiting list(s) will be unaffected and you will be notified when more funded CREST kit boxes are available (which will likely be the 2027/2028 academic year).
The eight CREST challenges and associated equipment in each of the Explore Kit Boxes are the same as those in the CREST Star and SuperStar Kit Boxes, although the CREST kit boxes do not include the STEM Person of the Week resources.
If your school has already received a CREST Star or CREST SuperStar Kit Box it is unlikely that an application for an Explore Kit Box would be successful, as the British Science Association seeks to support as many schools as possible with our funding.