Archived challenge - 2018
Back to archiveTractor of the future
The Challenge:
Design a tractor of the future
Some of the problems farmers face are:
- Not having enough people to pick some types of crops by hand
- Heavy machinery squashes the soil and stops plants from growing
- Tractor drivers get tired having to work round the clock at harvest time
- Farmers want to protect the environment
We’ll be judging the entries based on four criteria: How well you’ve solved the problem, creativity & innovation, the environmental impact of your design and the benefits the design will have for farmers and food producers.
The Prize
- A fully funded farm visit for up to 35 children from your school.
- Up to £600 to spend on a robotics or construction kit to build a prototype of your design.
- Travel and expenses for up to five children and two adults to attend the grand final event at the House of Commons during British Science and Engineering Week.
- Specially selected kits from the STEM Learning category at Learning Resources, allowing you have even more STEM fun in the classroom.
There will be one winning entry from each of the following categories:
- KS1 (Years 1 & 2)
- Lower KS2 (Years 3 & 4)
- Upper KS2 (Years 5 & 6)
All entrants will become certified ‘farmventors’ and receive a reward pack including a certificate and mini prize. Entries close on 21 December 2018.
The overall winner of the competition, chosen at the grand final, will win the once in a lifetime experience of their school being turned into a farm for the day.
What might your submission look like?
It’s up to you what your submission looks like and may well depend on the age category. Some ideas we might expect to see are:
- A video showing an explanation of the design, any research that has been done and any specific problems the design solves
- Pictures – either hand drawn or digital
- An advertisement or pitch of the final design
- A PowerPoint or Prezi Presentation
- Photographs of models/prototypes made using recycled materials, construction toys or robotics kits
The sky is the limit and we definitely encourage creativity! We can accept most document, image and video file types.
All of our Farmvention challenges are accredited for the CREST Discovery Award. If you’re an Upper KS2 teacher you might want to use the CREST Discovery Passport to help students plan their submission.
Resources
Here are some projects from our friends at the Association for Science Education to get you started: