Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association: Packaging primary resources

Packaging is a part of our everyday lives but not always fully understood. This collection is designed to cover several subject areas taught at primary school including design and technology, mathematics, science, literacy and history. Written by educational and industry experts, each unit indicates the target age group and curriculum links and includes lessons, teacher information and worksheets where applicable. The units are:

Can Count Children carry out an audit at home to find out what they have that uses a tin or a can. Class results are collated and analysed, using the data for bar chart, graph and spreadsheet work.

Cantastic Children learn about the processes involved in making a can that might hold the common items they have in the food cupboard at home. They will sequence pictures and create instructional texts. [b]Celebrate![/b] Children design a tin to package something for a celebration!

Fabulous Folds! Children will investigate how two pieces of paper can be joined by only folds (to mimic methods used to join ends to can). They will carry out an investigation into the strength of different kinds of folds.

Game in a Tin Children come up with a new, exciting use of a tin, that contains a game, but the container must become an integral part of the game. They must design the game; create adverts and persuasive texts about it.

Metal Packaging Museum  The lesson introduces the theme of museums and collections and links to historical enquiry and interpretation. There are opportunities for chronological sequencing, explanatory texts and captions for an audience.

Race 2 Recycle This unit considers why it is important to recycle and how cans can be crushed to reduce transport costs

Stevie Steel vs Alice Aluminium Steel and aluminium will be compared as two characters are devised that are made of these materials. Children learn about the characters and their material characteristics by completing fun activities based around these character

Will it fit? This unit will contain a range of numeracy challenges based around the concept of fitting different can / box shapes onto flat sheets. Set in context of pupils being designers with a challenge to be the most economical.

This collection has been provided by the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association, (MPMA) and was researched and developed by Focused Learning.